


Against the World

by StarvingLunatic



Category: Original Work
Genre: Bisexual Female Character, Drama, Dysfunctional Family, Dysfunctional Relationships, Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, Family, Lesbian Sex, Martial Arts, Romance, Sibling Bonding, Unplanned Pregnancy, Violence, mother-daughter bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-07-26
Updated: 2009-11-04
Packaged: 2018-02-20 05:40:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 31
Words: 163,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2416979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarvingLunatic/pseuds/StarvingLunatic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Isabel is a warrior with high hopes, but in the way of her goals are an annoying boyfriend, his equally annoying parents, her own forceful mother, and an addition to her life that she doesn't expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A world away

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Welcome to another original story by this lunatic. The story is mine and the characters are mine. Please do not use them without my permission.

Against the World

Chapter 1: A world away

Isabel was on the train. Her jade green were focused out of the window that was to her right, as she tended to do when she was taking the journey that she was currently on. She was going to see her boyfriend, Jason Gooding. It was a curious expedition, as usual, but then again, they were involved in a curious relationship as far as she was concerned. It was a curious attraction in her opinion also. Things just did not make much sense to her when it came to her and Jason.

She did not understand why she took the long trip to see him; the train ride itself was close to two hours long. The train smelled oddly in her opinion and it was filled with hard, plastic orange seats that did nothing for her lower back and the edges curved up slightly, which bothered her knees. He was the only person on the planet that she would probably make such a voyage for. She did not know why she did, but she did.

Jason was not the sort of person that Isabel would typically associate with. They were practically polar opposites, in her opinion and in most others’ opinions too. She would not say that she was a free spirit, but she was not what most would consider normal and she was well aware of that. Jason was relatively normal, though. He came from an upper middle class family with successful, business-minded parents and he was their pride and joy being an intelligent, handsome, athletic young man. He was a star football player for his university. He was a wide receiver, she thought anyway. Isabel had very limited knowledge in sports; all she knew was that he caught the ball when the guy in charge of his team threw it. As far as his parents were concerned, she was his only flaw.

In contrast to Jason, Isabel came from a single parent home. She believed that her mother had eaten her father at some point in time, but she could not recall when; she was certain that she would one day find evidence to prove it. Her little sister thought that their mother probably disposed of their father in a lake or something, but Isabel thought that would be too messy for their mother. No, she was certain that the woman she was named after had eaten their father like the succubus she had to be.

Isabel was also from an upper middle class family, but they had come into their money in a totally different way from Jason’s family. She and her sister did not like talking about it much, just because they doubted that people would believe them. She was also not a university student and had no plans to be, even though she was the same age as Jason.

Isabel was nineteen, as was Jason. She had no intention of going to any college or university, nor was she encouraged to do so, well not by her mother anyway. The fact that her mother did not seem to care probably influenced her disinterest in any institutions of higher learning. Jason, however, had a bad habit of nagging her about school, even to point where he ruined their dates sometimes.

Jason was the type that believed that everyone that wanted a future needed to go to college. Isabel preferred the school of hard knocks herself. She was not stupid by far, but she did not have any interest in going to school after she graduated high school, which was only by the grace of God anyway. She had barely gone to school during high school. There was just too much to go during the day in her opinion and she never liked wasting the day away in school. Her little sister currently was of similar thinking to her, but she attended school more often than Isabel did.

Back then, Isabel had had every intention of graduating high school when she went and she supposed that was the reason she made it through it. But, she never had any intention of pursuing more education after that and nothing was changing her mind. Jason pled with her all of the time to try to at least going to a junior college because he cared about her future; if she was irked enough, she took it as him caring about his image and that his parents disliked that he went out with a girl that was not pursuing a degree. Sometimes, she assumed that he did not want people to think that his girlfriend was an imbecile since she did not attend college. She could understand that somewhat since she did not want people assuming that her boyfriend was an elitist; too bad he was and she could not blame people for thinking that because she used to think it too and her sister still thought it. But, that being stated, she was not an imbecile, which was something that she enjoyed greatly.

Isabel appreciated her intelligence because it kept her mother off of her back. Her mother already had enough hang-ups about her, so she never wanted to add to that. It was not so much that her mother disliked her or anything like that, but she was a very hard and critical woman. She sometimes thought that her mother would get along great with Jason’s parents because of their personalities, but it was also her mother’s personality that would have pissed her mother off to know Jason’s parents if she did know them.

Jason’s parents were, in Isabel’s own words, assholes. She practically detested his parents and they disliked her in return, but things like that just left her puzzled. Jason was very much a product of his upbringing, so why did he like her? Better still, why did she like him? Why did she like him enough to take a train to go see him? Why was she wasting her time going to see him yet again? She did not know; she never knew. She just found herself on the train at least once a week, and sometimes as much as four times a week, going to see him. Her sister laughed at her over such things and she could understand that. She felt like such a girl over Jason and she did not mean that in a good way.

To Isabel, girls did not rationalize things well when it came to the opposite sex. Girls did silly, even stupid things, for the opposite sex in her opinion and she believed that she was doing a very silly thing by getting on the train to see Jason, a guy that she could not even figure out why she liked him. She would not get on the train to go see her own grandmother (the evil old bat), yet she was going to see Jason on the train. If he did not go to school so far from her home, she would have taken a cab, which was usually how she got around. She just was not prepared to pay that much money for a cab ride to go see Jason. Usually money was no object to her, but when it came to Jason, he threw off her usual thought pattern and manner of behaving.

Isabel was not sure what it was about Jason that drew her back to him time and time again. They had basically nothing in common as far as she could tell; he agreed, but ignored that fact. Typically, she would not go within a hundred feet of someone like him and she was willing to bet that he generally would not be seen in the same room with someone like her. And yet he was hopelessly attracted to her and despite all of her rationalization for why she should not, she was on the train to go see him yet again. She concluded that she must be out of her mind. Surely insanity was a family trait and it was manifesting itself in her by compelling her to go see a young man that she barely liked most of the time. That had to be it.

More often than not, Isabel actually wished to whatever deity existed that she had never met Jason. All she would have had to do was stick to her basic principles of never going to house parties. Yes, she was a teenager that disliked house parties and she made it a point to never go to any. The crowds of people acting completely stupid and being egged on to do so all night bothered her, so she made it a point to not go. She was a big believer in avoiding things that got on her nerves instead of being around such things and complaining. But, about a year ago, a friend of hers had bugged her for nearly a week to attend the party and she agreed after seven days of non-stop pestering.

It was at that fateful party that Isabel met Jason and her life just had not been right since, especially according to her sister. She blamed her so-called friends mostly for her life now. If only she had stayed home that night as she had planned to instead of going to that party.

The night that she had met Jason, he had been a rather bold guy and he had introduced himself to her, as if she should care about whom he was, she had noted at the time. She guessed that his seemingly boastful introduction was because he played football and was used to being gushed over by people when he explained who he was. He had not gotten such a reaction from her. In fact, she had been rather bored with him and it showed, yet he had asked her out anyway. Her response was just a little uncalled for as she told him in a polite tone to “go to Hell.” That could have and probably should have been the end of it, but Jason was persistent.

Jason had gone so far as to get Isabel’s information from some of her friends that were attending the party. Her so-called friends had actually given him everything he wanted! They claimed that she needed to get out more. Well, after that day, she had much less friends and a new pain in the ass. Jason pretty much had openly stalked her and he would not go away no matter how many profane times she told him to.

Isabel did not understand why he had been so fascinated in her back then, or even now. She should not be anything like a girl that he would want. She was crude and rude, especially toward him. They were nothing alike; hell, they could not even watch the news even now without getting into an argument most of the time.

They were really a bad couple in her opinion. They could not even agree on anything if they went on a date together. Going to the movies with them was like a knife fight without the civility and rules. She did not even like going out with him because she really did not like fighting with him. She disliked verbal fighting altogether. She preferred going toe to toe physically and even then, she liked money or fun being involved, which was actually one of the reasons that she was on the train.

Although she could not figure out why she was even bothering with going to visit Jason or why she wanted to see him, she did know that she would rather go to him and be with him in his dorm room than go out with him in public somewhere. She had to see him, but she had to see him where they were least likely to get into a fight. In his dorm room, if he started getting on her nerves, usually by acting like an arrogant, spoiled brat, she could shut him up with a kiss, which was fine by her of course and he never complained. She had no problem with kissing the big jerk; he was her boyfriend, after all. He was her big jerk.

The train came to a halt, which pulled Isabel from her thoughts. She knew that it was not her stop yet, but she did like watching people pile on and off of the train for some odd reason. People always seemed like they had such a purpose when they entered and exited the train to her. She wondered if she had that same air about her when she got off and on the train. Did she look like a woman headed some place very important? She felt like it, as much as she hated to admit that. Getting to Jason was important to her…for whatever reason; she was still going to pled insanity.

She tried not to think about what the real reasons might be as to why Jason was important to her. He made her feel special and she supposed that she liked feeling special like any other human being on the planet. She had never really felt special to anyone, except maybe her little sister and maybe she took that for granted since her sister had looked up to her forever as far as they were concerned. Her mother was mostly neutral toward her for her entire life, but she always figured/hoped that there was a method to such madness. She hoped that her mother acted so bland toward her to keep her working hard for the most part because it certainly worked.

Jason, on the other hand, made her feel like her presence brightened his day; at least for the first few minutes that they were around each other. There was something about the way that he held her and looked at her that made Isabel feel like he truly appreciated her being around. She could not figure out why that was, but she did know that she enjoyed that feeling. If only someone else could deliver it or Jason could change his attitude, she often thought.

A few stops later, Isabel exited the train with such sophistication that one might think that she was getting out of a limousine. Her long black coat flowed behind her almost as if it was a continuation of her river of ebony hair. She looked around the familiar, empty station. There was nothing particularly catching about her stop. It was above ground without any stands hawking goods like there had been when she got on the train back by her home. There was a row of peeled, green wooden benches in the middle of the platform, which was concrete. There was a canopy in case of rain, which it did look like it might do sooner or later. She would worry about the weather later on. Right now it was on her side, which was good enough for her.

Isabel walked to the university campus, even though it was a slightly cold day. The campus was over a mile away, but a mile was nothing to her, even in the heeled boots that she was wearing. She did the trip fairly quickly; she was not sure if her goal had her moving just a step faster than usual or if the cool air was putting some pep in her step. The reason was moot; the point was that she made it to the campus rapidly. She walked directly to Jason’s dorm building.

It was a nice and new looking building with three floors and hundreds of rooms. It looked something like hotel, but then again, many of the dorms looked like that on the campus since it was a prestigious university. That particular building housed the jocks of the school for the most part.

Isabel entered the dorm building and waved to the lazy security guard behind the front desk. The guy was not really lazy; he just did not do his job when it came to her and any other person that he recognized. She had spoken to him a few times and found him to be a pleasant fellow. She hoped that his lackadaisical attitude toward his job did not cost him.

Isabel walked to the second floor and went right to Jason’s room. She knocked once before he opened the door, almost as if he knew that she was there at that very moment. He was far from surprised to see her standing in the bland tan hallway since she always told him when she was coming over to him. She was always looking to give him a chance to back out and tell her to stay home or not come, something like that. She really wanted him to push her away, as she often did with him. But, he was never interested in taking her up on such an offer. She did not understand it; maybe it had to do with getting hit in the a lot while playing football or some of it was his way of tormenting her.

Jason was standing before her in a plain grey tee-shirt and knee-length sweat shorts. He was a large fellow with wide shoulders and a thick neck. He was a popular young man because of his active and decent football career. He was also rather handsome with a pronounced chin and a head full of short ebony hair that curled a bit at the ends, which Isabel hated because she thought it was exceptionally cute. Most of the female population of the world would agree with her. He also had a pair of striking marine blue eyes to go with his muscular build and eye-catching facial structure. He was definitely an Adonis, but she often did not find herself thinking that she was lucky to have such an attractive man. Many girls thought that she was just ungrateful.

“Isabel,” he greeted her with smile in his deep voice. He bent down and gave her a hug.

“Hello, Jason,” she replied with a smile of her own and she returned the embrace.

“You smell good,” he commented while inhaling. “But, you feel pretty cold,” he pointed out with concern. He ushered her into his warm.

“I’m fine,” she tried to assure him.

Jason was set to argue, but he noticed that Isabel was still wearing her coat. He pictured himself a perfect gentleman, so he went to take her coat from her. He slid the jacket off of her elegant shoulders. Without the coat blocking the view, Jason got to see that she was wearing clothing that was highlighting her amazing figure. She had on a plain white cotton shirt that hugged her torso and a black knee-length shirt that showed off her hips, ass, and legs. Jason got caught staring.

“Should I do a little wiggle to further entertain you?” Isabel teased and her boyfriend actually blushed.

“No!” Jason replied with fervor, even shaking his head. He was not a pervert, after all.

“Are you sure?” she continued on, smirking as she spoke. She would not mind him giving her an honest answer rather than pretending that he was standing on some moral high ground. She would wiggle for him too if he said that he wanted her to.

Jason repeated himself and turned away, just in case Isabel decided to be “funny.” He went to hang her coat up in the closet while she looked around the room, even though she had been in there countless times before. The room itself was immaculate. He was a neat-freak to the point where it was nauseating for her.

His bed was pushed in the corner, next to the window on the far side of the room. It was made perfectly with a dark blue spread pushed over his two pillows. Perpendicular to the bed was his dresser that also held his large, flat screen television. Across from that was his desk, which was clear of everything except for his laptop computer, which was on. He was more than likely doing schoolwork before she showed up. He was probably the only jock in existence that did all of his own work, she thought.

“How was the trip?” Jason asked, being polite, as he finished putting away her coat.

“Cold,” she answered in an almost clipped tone. He knew that she hated taking the train, so she did not see why he insisted on asking her about the trip every time that she made it. She hated the trip, of course.

“Oh, I’m sorry for that,” he apologized, as if it was his fault.

“Why? You didn’t make it cold,” she pointed out. She was starting to figure out that he irked her already because he was asking obvious questions.

Jason laughed a bit, sounding rather awkward. He decided against saying anything else and went to his desk, closing the files on his computer since he doubted that he was going to get back to them anytime soon. While he did that, Isabel sat down on the bed, which was rather soft, and she turned on the television. She flicked through the channels while he sat down next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders.

Isabel fought with herself if she wanted to risk starting a conversation with him. He had already gotten on her nerves from speaking about four sentences. Did she want to risk more aggravation?

“What were you working on?” Isabel asked curiously while leaning into his thick frame. Oh, he felt so good, she noted quietly. He was so firm and warm. Now, if only he acted differently, she thought with a sigh.

“Huh?” he countered. He was not sure what she meant because he was too busy concentrating on the fact that she was pressing her supple body into him. He loved it when she was so close.

“What were you working on before I came in?” she elaborated and nodded toward his computer.

“Just an English paper. I’ll get to it later. It’s not due for a couple of weeks,” he answered.

He was odd, she thought. She did not see how he could do papers so early. She had never had a college paper, but she had had a few papers in high school and she always waited for the last moment to do them. She supposed that she did that because she was always looking for something fun to do and papers were not fun. Jason seemed to be willing to do the same since she had arrived, though. He needed hobbies for when she was not around, she thought.

“I’ve got a game this weekend, you know?” he informed her. He was sure that he told her before, but he wanted to remind her in case she forgot. He was all too aware that football was not too important to her.

“I was aware,” she answered.

“You going to come?” he asked, trying his best not to sound too hopeful, but he was failing rather miserably. As much as he liked Isabel, he did not want to sound desperate around her, especially since he knew that she would take it as a sign of weakness.

“I don’t know. It all depends on if you’re a good boy,” she remarked with a teasing smile.

“Why do you have to be that way?” he inquired, sounding just a bit curious and frustrated with her. 

“You like me this way,” she quipped, still smiling as she spoke. She pushed herself up slightly and placed a kiss on the end of his nose.

Jason only sighed; he did like her the way that she was. It sort of gave her the upper hand in their relationship, though, which was not something he was used to. He liked being in control of things, but Isabel seemed to enjoy the same privilege. He often felt that was probably why they fought so much.

“You’re going to come, right?” he repeated. He did want her at the game, even though he knew that she often had no idea what was going on during the game. He had never met a person so ignorant when it came to sports as Isabel.

“We’ll see,” she replied, running her fingers along his strong jaw.

“Why can’t you just give me a straight answer?” he huffed slightly. His face was tense, even though he was enjoying her touch.

“Why do you get so annoyed about that? Don’t I always show up to cheer you on, even though I have no damn idea what’s going on?” she pointed out. For all of the teasing that she did every time he invited her to a game, she made it a point to show up to all of them. She still had no clue what the sport was about, though.

Jason did not have anything to fire back with because it was the truth. He was getting all bent out of shape, even though she went to all of his games, even though she had no interest in sports. He looked like he was at a loss since he could not argue with her, which he did want to do because he did not like when she taunted him all of the time. He believed that she did not respect him. Maybe she did not or maybe she did.

Isabel could tell that Jason was looking for someway to start an argument and she was not in the mood. She pushed herself up again and placed a kiss to his mouth, making it busy before it got to spouting something she did not wish to hear. He was surprised by the kiss at first, but he began returning it after a brief moment.

The kiss was soft and slow, just a gentle press of their lips together. Isabel had to shift her body on the bed because she desired to keep the show of affection going. She wondered why he tasted so good. Why did he feel so good? Why did she always want more?

Jason put his arm Isabel’s waist to steady her while making sure not to break the kiss. His hands began working of their own accord, but he was not about to complain because they began caressing Isabel through her shirt. Before long, she ended up moaning, which he expected. He knew how to touch his woman, after all. He knew how to please Isabel; it was something that both impressed and annoyed her. Why did he have to know exactly how to treat her physically?

The more that Jason touched, the more he wanted to touch her rather muscular body. She was soft in all the right places as far as he was concerned. She was perfect and she was all his. He was proud to have chased down such a wonderful creature, even if she had a rather sharp, rude tongue in her head. At least that tongue had other talents, he thought.

The couple decided rather quickly that they should just go all the way. It would keep them from bothering each other and they would rather enjoy each other’s company for the moment than anything else. So, they had to do something that would keep Isabel from verbally teasing Jason and something that would keep Jason from asking bothersome questions. What they were doing now was a surefire way to keep things civil between them. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: there should be some action, fighting action.


	2. The Underworld

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: strong language. This warning will probably carry through out the whole story.

Chapter 2: The Underworld

Isabel woke up feeling quite relaxed and had no desire to move. She was about to snuggle up into the firm, warm body that was sleeping next to her in the slightly cramped bed, but she remembered that she had other things to do with her day. She groaned quietly to herself while mentally scolding herself to schedule things better than she had. She should have known better than to come see Jason on a day that she could not just lounge next to him to her heart’s content.

Perhaps she would return to the dorm room tomorrow, Isabel told herself, especially since Jason had not had the chance to get on her nerves. She should give him such a chance, she thought as a joke. After all, getting on her nerves was what he did. It was like his hobby and she should not deprive him of his pleasure.

Isabel moved slightly, trying her best not to disturb Jason. She checked her wristwatch to see if she had just a little time left to savor her moment of peace with her boyfriend. She saw that she did not, which she suspected because she could see that the sun was starting to set thanks to the window. She knew that she had better get moving before she ended up getting into trouble, although she doubted that she would be able to avoid that problem. She sighed while trying to get up and not wake her companion. She was unsuccessful, even though she was on the open side of the bed. Despite all of her training, she never could get out of bed without waking Jason. She personally could not understand that.

“Where are you going?” Jason asked in a mumble. He had his thick, muscular arm around her and pulled her closer to his nude form.

“I’ve got work to get to,” Isabel answered quite honestly, like he was not going to find something strange about the response.

“Work?” he echoed as if he did not know what that was.

As far as Jason was concerned, Isabel was just about the very definition of unemployed. She did not receive a steady paycheck for anything that she did nor did she go to any specific location on a daily basis to put in a certain amount of hours, like most working people did. Isabel truly could not imagine having such a routine anyway. She would not want such work. She liked what she did.

“Yes, work,” she reiterated with a tiny bit of attitude, sucking her teeth slightly. She knew that he refused to acknowledge that she had a job of any sorts, but if that was the case, how else would she be able to afford her rent?

“You’re just trying to cut out on me,” he remarked, although he did sound kind of serious. He did not believe that she had a job and he knew that what she was referring to as “work” was actually something illegal, so he would rather that she did not leave him. He disliked that she put herself in such a situation that she could end up in jail just for a little bit of money. Isabel would argue that it was far from “a little bit of money.”

“I’ve got to cut out on you or Ellie is going to cut my throat with a rusty penknife,” she commented.

Jason groaned; out of all of her “wild” friends, he hated Ellie the most. He detested her on almost the same level that he hated Isabel’s baby sister, and that hatred ran deeper than a bottomless pit. Isabel thought that his dislike of Ellie was amazing, somewhat odd, and rather amusing because Ellie was actually her most conservative friend. In fact, Isabel was certain that the only reason that she even hung around Ellie was because they had grown up together and she looked at Ellie more like a cousin than a friend. She thought that Jason and Ellie probably would have gotten along wonderfully in another lifetime.

“I’ll see you tomorrow more than likely. Is that good enough for you?” Isabel inquired, looking into his deep blue eyes while caressing his barrel chest in an almost suggestive manner.

He sighed and conceded. “I suppose,” he muttered. Well, it would be splendid to see her two days in a row. With luck, they would get along tomorrow too.

Isabel pouted a little bit because of the sound that Jason allowed to escape his throat. She continued caressing his chest. “I’m not running out on you. I just have a previous engagement,” she explained, sounding rather apologetic. She was tempted to stay, but that would bring more trouble than she required.

“Did you come here just for this?” he asked curiously, his eyes shined with worry.

“Don’t be silly, dearest,” she answered and then leaned over to place a small kiss at the end of his nose. She purposely sounded lighthearted about something that was actually insulting to her. She certainly had not spent two hours on the train simply for sex with Jason, although it was a very pleasing way to spend her time. But, she had actually come because she wished to see him and he was being so judgmental that he could not even see that.

Jason did not respond to her words or to her kiss. Isabel rolled her emerald green eyes and eased herself away from the football player. She had to gather her clothing, but that was not very difficult. She got dressed rapidly while Jason remained in bed, staring at the ceiling. He wanted her to stay, but he knew better than to ask her or she would end up hurting his feeling by informing him that she had to leave.

Isabel kissed Jason sweetly on the lips when she was ready to go. As soon as she was at the door, Jason stopped her with a couple of word: hold on. He offered to drive her home, which she expected and accepted, as she usually did. He made it a habit to take her home when she came to see him, but often had to get some sulking out of the way because she did often leave him when he wanted her to stay.

“Give me a second to get dressed,” the football player said.

Isabel had to fight the urge to be a demon and suggest that he just go naked since she would not complain. She held off and simply said, “Of course.”

Isabel seriously needed the ride home because she did not want to get screamed on by Ellie for being late. The drive was quiet. Despite the fact that they were a couple, Isabel and Jason never had much to talk about, unless they wanted to get into an argument anyway. Isabel would not mind so much being able to debate with Jason, but he could so easily get to her that she would be reduced to barking at him and he would return the favor.

“Thank you, dear,” Isabel said as they pulled up to her apartment building.

“No problem,” Jason replied with a small smile. He actually loved when she called him “dear” or “dearest” and was not making fun him with the terms. Her sister actually thought saying “dear” made Isabel sound like an old woman and she often teased Isabel about that.

Isabel leaned over and kissed Jason on the mouth as a farewell. It was not a particularly licentious show of affection, but there was some passion in it. As she pulled away, Isabel placed a couple of pecks on Jason’s mouth before leaving completely. She told him to take care as she exited the car and wished him luck in his classes in the morning. He just told her to have a good night.

Isabel let loose a small wave while walking toward the front door of her building. Jason pulled off when she was out of sight. She went upstairs to her one-bedroom apartment, which was a nice size for one person. The front door opened to a small tiled area for people to take their shoes off as Isabel did not want anyone wearing shoes on her deep cerulean blue carpet that went through the whole apartment, except the kitchen and living room.

She went straight to the bathroom to take a quick shower. Her bathroom was spotless and all of her toiletries were lined up neatly on a shelf over the toilet just because they were easier to find when they were in order. She jumped into the shower, not even bothering to wait for the water to warm up.

After a ten minute shower, Isabel hopped into her “business” clothing, which happened to consist of a sleeveless white compression shirt and some sky blue peddle-pushers. She slipped on her favorite pair of matching canvas sneakers. Once she was dressed, she threw her hair into a pony tail to keep it out of her face. She grabbed her coat and then rushed out of the apartment, making sure to lock up as she left. She had not even been home for a half-hour.

She was glad that she could run to her destination because if she had to wait for a cab, she would have been in real trouble. Ellie was still going to eat her face for dinner when she showed up, she figured. Ellie hated lateness to the point that she saw being on time as actually being late. Isabel was not even going to be on time, though. She was generally quite punctual, so Ellie typically did not have to verbally slit her throat, but that was not going to happen now. She could only hope that her sister was even later than she was and that would give Ellie someone else to devour.

Isabel trotted several blocks with her face buried in her coat to keep away the chill in the air, going into an unsavory looking part of town. She went into a filthy, dark alley that was flanked by two warehouses. She stopped at a side door and knocked in a specific rhythm. A voice behind the door wanted to know what she wanted and was answered in a frustrated voice “for you to open the damn door before I kick it down.” The voice behind the door grumbled about how Isabel gave herself away because she really needed to learn some manners. The door did open, though.

“Ellie was looking for you,” the doorman informed Isabel as she stepped in. He was a big man of six and a half feet with a thick neck and broad shoulders. He was dressed in a sleeveless white tee-shirt and tan pants with a matching fedora hat.

“She’s going to break my neck before I even see her coming,” Isabel muttered while shaking her head and slipping out of her coat to get used to the new, humid atmosphere.

“It did seem that way,” he agreed with her.

“Maybe she’ll make some noise, so I’ll at least know to pray or something before she kills me,” the teenage female remarked with a smile as he shut the door behind her.

“Better you than me,” the doorman mumbled.

Isabel chuckled a bit; she was sure that no one envied her for the moment, although she was hoping to change that by the end of the night. She was hoping to walk away with enough money and glory for a few people to wish they were her, but right now, she just had to hope to keep her neck as she navigated the smoke-filled, poorly lit underground club. There was no music playing, but plenty of people moving about the few levels of the space. They were socializing for the most part between drinks, smokes, and brush-offs.

She walked through the huge place with her usual confidence, even though she knew that she was amongst some of the lowest people in the city. They liked to think of themselves as “businessmen” and Isabel was not one to knock their businesses since they were the ones that got her money. She was no one’s judge, although she did disagree with many of their businesses. After all, she was currently mingling with hit men, drug-dealers that would sell to kids, and men that would turn their backs on their own mothers if it meant that they could make a profit off of it. She made it a point not to associate with those who did things that she did not agree with, which actually left her with very few people to speak with in the place.

“Hey, if it isn’t the golden girl,” a man commented as he draped his arm around Isabel’s shoulders.

“Ew, Dirk, what’ve I told you about touching me?” Isabel inquired with genuine disgust as she removed the arm from her shoulders.

The man was tall with combed back ebony hair and an olive complexion. He was dressed in an expensive light tan suit with a cigar in one hand and a beer in the other. He laughed as she moved his limb from her person. It was a rich sound that came straight from his belly and his eyes shut from amusement.

“You seen Ellie?” Isabel asked with some attitude in her tone because she was still repulsed that he touched her.

“Down by the cage, cursing you and your shadow. You gonna make me some money tonight?” the man, Dirk replied with a devious smirk.

“That’s the plan. I got rent to pay, after all,” Isabel remarked with a half-smirk of her own. She paused for a moment to look at the men around her. “Not that any of you jackasses know anything about that.”

Dirk frowned, apparently taking offense to her words. “Watch it, golden girl. You can’t catch bullets, after all.”

“I wouldn’t suggest you testing that theory,” Isabel commented with a spooky smile.

Dirk raised a curious, raven-colored eyebrow at that statement. The teenage girl walked off without explaining what she meant and Dirk just laughed again. He knew Isabel well enough to be tickled by her normal behavior if given enough time.

“Hey, you better make me some money!” Dirk called to her back. Her response was to give him the one-finger salute. “That girl is something else,” he muttered while shaking his head, but he was smiling.

Isabel walked deeper into the club and then had to go down some stairs. As she hit the lower level, she could see the cage that Dirk had been referring to. It was a platform of fifteen by fifteen feet and it was covered by chain link fence all around and on the top. There were lights around the platform to make it easier to see in the dimly lit building. She barely registered the cage because she was used to seeing it. She was trying to spot Ellie.

When she came across her friend, sure enough, the other teen did not look happy. Ellie was leaning against the platform cage with her head down, but Isabel could see the frown on her friend’s face. Ellie had probably been born scowling, she thought.

Ellie was a brunette with shoulder length, sandy brown hair. She was a bit shorter than Isabel, who she claimed was just an amazon anyway. She had an athletic build and an all-around powerful presence. Her rounded, peach-colored face was tense all of the time, which made her thin lips look like little more than a line. She had a slender nose and deep, piercing brown eyes. Isabel’s little sister liked to say that Ellie looked like an angry bird, which usually set off Ellie’s short temper, which only got her teased more.

Isabel threw on her best apologetic smile before calling attention to herself. “Hey, Ellie,” she greeted her friend brightly. The smile was practically withered away when Ellie turned to glare her as if the shorter woman was melting her insides with her eyes.

“Where the fuck have you been?” Ellie demanded to know, showing her fury through the use of swear words. Only Isabel and her sister could bring Ellie to cursing so quickly.

“You know, a ‘hi’ would be nice,” Isabel remarked playfully with an irksome smirk.

“I’ve been here for almost thirty minutes waiting for you and where the hell is Kat?” the shorter female inquired while noticing that Isabel was alone. She looked around her friend, as if Isabel’s sister might actually be hiding behind her.

“Last time I checked I wasn’t my sister’s keeper,” the raven-haired teen replied, sounding like quite the smart-aleck at the moment.

“I thought you were. Didn’t you sign that contract?” Ellie remarked with a smug look on her face as she folded her arms across her chest.

“I’ll have you know that was voided sometime ago,” Isabel seemed to boast.

“Well, obviously that doesn’t help us out since Kat isn’t here. What’re we going to do?” Ellie demanded to know while throwing her hands out to the side somewhat before slapping them down against her side. Her eyebrows bent into a puzzled and slightly upset expression.

“What? She doesn’t show up, she doesn’t get any money. Why’s that a mystery?” Isabel inquired with a bewildered look on her face as she shrugged. If her sister did not show up, then she missed out. It was that simple.

Ellie did not argue that because she felt the same way, but she was still bothered by the fact that Isabel’s sister had not shown up when it was agreed that they would all be there at the same time. Isabel and her sister were so infuriating, the sister more so than Isabel in Ellie’s not-typically-humble opinion. They seemed to think the world revolved around them and she had no idea where they got that idea from. It was not like that they had parents that spoiled them, but still, superior attitudes seemed to be genetic with them.

The friends stood around for a few minutes, waiting for Isabel’s little sister. Ellie sucked her teeth as she considered that Kat’s silly ass probably was not going to show up. One day, she was going to learn to stop depending on the sisters to keep their promises. It just was not in their nature, she thought in a huff.

“I’m going to kill Kat when I see her,” Ellie decided.

“Why?” Isabel asked in a nonchalant tone. She did not see the problem with her whimsical sibling not showing up. It certainly was not the first time such a thing happened and she was sure that it would not be the last.

“Because I know she’s fucking lying underneath some guy instead of being where she’s supposed to be,” the chocolate-eyed teen answered in a frustrated tone while making a fist.

Isabel held up one hand, waving a bit. “Hey, hey, calm down. She probably just forgot that it’s tonight. What’s the damn deal?”

“I need money for books next semester,” Ellie replied in a huff.

“What the hell? You make it seem like books cost an arm and a leg. We’ll make enough for you to buy the damn library without Kat showing up,” Isabel stated while rolling her eyes. Ellie needed to learn to relax in her opinion. She was getting worked up over nothing.

As expected, Kat never showed up. Isabel made a mental note to get in touch with her sister to find out what it was that kept her from their appointment, but for the moment, she let it go. They had work to get to.

Isabel was up first, entering the cage as an audience gathered around. From the other side of the platform, a large man entered the cage. He reminded her of Jason because he was built like a football player. He did not have a shirt on, showing off the fact that he had muscles everywhere. He laughed a bit when he saw Isabel, which caused her to smirk.

“You must be new to these parts,” Isabel commented while cracking her knuckles because she could tell that he was underestimating her already.

“If you just quit, I promise not to hurt you too much, girly,” he remarked with an arrogant, deep laugh.

“If you just quit, I promise not to make your dentist a rich man,” she retorted.

A bell rang loudly to be heard over the din of the crowd and he charged Isabel immediately. She ducked as he came in with a powerful punch. She was still smirking while he seemed to be incredulous that he missed her.

“She has all the luck,” Ellie muttered to herself, standing outside of the cage and waiting for her turn.

Isabel and Ellie made their money participating in illegal street fights, mostly cage fights like the one Isabel was in now. They were well known in the circles that they moved in and made a lot of money through the fighting, not just from club owners that paid them when they signed up, but also when they bet on themselves and each other, depending on the circumstances. In certain instances, fighters were not allowed to bet on matches, but Isabel and her sister liked to tempt fate and often had people place bets for them or just placed bets on their own. They usually could talk Ellie into doing it too, even though such shenanigans in seedy sections of society could easily get them killed. Isabel and Kat liked to look at it as “almost anything can get you killed.” Ellie liked to counter with “some things have more of a chance in that than others,” but that never stopped the sisters.

Isabel was still smirking as things seemed to go in slow motion for her opponent, whose first strike had missed its mark completely. She attacked his unguarded midsection with rapid palm strikes, more than he could count. He could hardly grunt in time with her hits. She ended the lightning fast assault with a powerful punch, forcing him back a few feet with her last hit. He was hunched over and breathing hard while trying to fix his face from showing the apparent pain that she had caused him.

“I’m sorry. I was supposed to be hitting you in the face, wasn’t I?” Isabel remarked with an evil glint in her emerald eyes. A fiendish smirk graced her elegant features, looking like a demon.

“What the hell are you?” he inquired in disbelief, speaking through pants of agony.

“Satan’s spawn,” Isabel answered with a slightly demented chuckle. She did not think that she was lying either.

He snarled and charged her again. Isabel wasted no time in keeping her promise about making his dentist a wealthy man. He leaned down to punch her. She swiftly sidestepped his fist, practically dancing out of the way. She then wailed on his grill with a flurry of punches that whizzed through the air like sharp arrows. She only pulled back when she accidentally cut her knuckle on his tooth. He fell to the floor, holding his hand over his mouth.

“I hope you’ve had you shots,” Isabel muttered with an attitude while looking at her cut knuckle. It was a small nick. She was going to have to go to the doctor, just in case. The last thing she wanted to do was get an infection from a sexist piece of scum like her opponent. Until then, she figured that she would get it bandaged by whatever so-called doctor was around the ring.

She waited to see if he was going to get back up. He did the wise thing and stayed down, which earned him a roar of “boos.” Isabel did not care much about his taunts, nor did she care about her thunderous applauds. She just wanted her money and the chance to get in another fight or more for the night. The more she fought, the more money she made and that was always a good thing.

Isabel stepped out of the cage after officially being announced the winner of match. After a couple more fights, it was Ellie’s turn. Isabel did not wait around to see who her friend was fighting, she just bet everything that she earned on the shorter brunette, although that was against the rules. But, one of her points in life was that rules were made to be broken…unless her mother laid them down anyway.

Ellie’s opponent was just as large as Isabel’s, but he was not new to the cage matches in the club. He threw up his large, gloved fists as soon as he was in the ring with her. Ellie sighed; yeah, Isabel definitely had all of the luck out of the two of them. She casually scratched the top of her head while looking at her adversary almost as if she was wishing that he would disappear.

“Hey, El, don’t get too full of yourself,” the guy said because of the way that she was looking at him.

Ellie just sighed and rolled her eyes. The bell rang and she put her hands up. Her opponent did not attack, but waited for her. He knew the consequences that came from charging at Ellie, or even Isabel or her little sister. It was never pretty, especially for a guy considering they typically went for a predetermined space on fellows. He was not going to let her have the chance to do what she wanted, namely counterattack.

“C’mon, Mace. You know how this fight is going to end, so just come and get me,” Ellie demanded in a forceful tone. Her usual tone of voice seemed like an order.

“I’m not stupid,” he replied.

“Now that we could debate, but since I doubt you know the meaning of the word ‘debate’ I’m going just pound your chest in and collect my money,” Ellie declared.

“Let’s see you try it, Eleanor,” he taunted her. There were advantages to knowing the opponent because he knew that she easily lost her temper on certain things, her real name being one. Ellie thought that her full name sounded like an old woman’s name.

The brunette young lady snorted in anger and went at her opponent. He blocked her attack and grabbed her fist as she was coming in for a particularly vicious punch. He used his size to his advantage and flung her into the fence around the ring. She landed in a good place for her to see Isabel was laughing at her. She mouthed the words “to Hell with you” to her giggling friend. Isabel rolled her eyes.

“I was born there,” the taller teen remarked while her friend climbed to her feet.

Ellie then ducked back down completely and rolled between her opponent’s legs as he was coming to pound her skull in. He ran into the fence since she evaded him by going through his legs. She wasted no time in planting her foot in his back, leaving a boot print on his shirt. He grunted as he slammed into the chain-link again because of the force hitting him in his spine. He turned to her with a fury blazing hotly in his brown eyes while she was getting into her fighting stance again. He charged her, now playing into her hands.

Ellie worked best in counterattacking. It gave her a chance to work in her best combinations because her opponent was typically caught in an unguarded moment. It worked that time and she got to let loose a hurricane’s worth of kicks to his face. He caught her leg after nearly a dozen hits, but that was all he could do. She jumped into another kick, hitting him in the side of the head with her foot. He collapsed like a tree that was chopped down and Ellie was announced the winner of the match.

“Had me worried for a second,” Isabel teased her friend as Ellie walked over to her. She patted the shorter female on the shoulder with her newly bandaged hand.

Ellie scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Like that jackass was going to beat me.”

“It looked like he might’ve gotten to you. Here, this is from you kicking ass,” Isabel said and she handed her friend half of what she won off of betting on her.

“This is a good start. With luck, we’ll get a chance to build this into something before the night is over,” Ellie said while looking at the couple of bills that the raven-haired teen had given her.

“If we don’t walk out here with five figures, it’s a damn waste in my opinion,” Isabel commented and she meant that. Any night that she worked and she just walked away with the amount of what she looked at as “chump-change” that fighters were paid was a horrible night for her. She wanted to leave places with thousands in her pocket, which was why she always broke the “no-betting” rule. Looking for five figures might have been considered greedy by some, but she did not give a damn.

The pair continued on fighting through the night and betting their winnings on each other. It was a risky venture because they actually bet everything that they had on each other, combining their winnings just to bet it all again. They planned to just split things halfway at the end of the night, which was how they typically did things; when Kat showed up, they split everything three ways. There were surprising nights when that backfired, but that was rare enough for them to remain comfortable with shooting the works on each other every fight.

The two friends parted ways when the club closed and the sun was coming up. They walked off with a good amount of money in their opinions. Isabel went home, showered, and slept until noon. She then got up, got dressed, and kept her promise to Jason by returning to him that afternoon. She did remember that she needed to find out why her little sister had missed the fights last night, but for the moment, she was going to enjoy her time with Jason, which was short-lived. The couple did get into an argument, which they expected.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Meet Isabel little sister and Isabel seems to have fallen ill…or has she?


	3. That’s just sick

Chapter 3: That’s just sick

Isabel was planning to go see her sister, but she was feeling a little under the weather. She was not accustomed to be being sick, even a little bit. Not one to let a little sickness stop her when it dared to approach her, especially when she had an idea in her head, she headed out anyway to go see her sister. She had not seen her baby sister in several days, which bothered both sisters. They were close, despite their fierce independent natures and ability to get on the nerves of almost everyone else on the planet.

So, Isabel got dressed despite the queasy feeling coursing through her and set out after calling for a cab. She was dressed casually, for her anyway. Casual for her meant that she was wearing pants that did not have a matching jacket to go with them. Her outfit consisted of black slacks, a white sweater, and her long, flowing black coat.

She was going to meet her little sister at the mall. She had no doubt that her sister was down there hustling more than anything else. Well, it was either that or picking up guys as those seemed to be her little sister’s favorite hobbies. The hustling bit she could understand, but she was not sure where her sibling picked her boy-crazed attitude. It certainly did not come from her or their mother. After all, Isabel had never seen the woman with a man after the disappearance of her father, who she was pretty sure her mother had eaten. And she had been not with many guys before she hooked up with Jason. So, where her sister got her player attitude was a mystery.

Although the mall was a very big place, it was not hard at all for Isabel to find her sister. Her baby sister just had a way of making her presence known, a loud way that typically involved crowds. It was no difference that day as she was in a shouting match between several security guards for a reason that Isabel would discover after she finished watching the spectacle brought on by her baby sister, Katherine, affectionately known as Kat.

Katherine was sixteen years old and appeared to be the total opposite of Isabel. She had somewhat wavy, shoulder-length blonde hair as opposed to the near-waist length river of straight ebony locks that Isabel sported. Her eyes were a blue-green, like aqua while Isabel had a pair of deep jade eyes. She was also rather petite, almost elfish, which contrasted with Isabel’s tall, statuesque appearance. Katherine also had a healthy complexion while Isabel always had been a bit pale; some said that Isabel looked like a succubus. Still, despite all of their differences, Ellie liked to state that never had twins been born so far apart and looked so totally unrelated.

Isabel and Katherine seemed to give off the same air of confidence and superiority; it was something that they knew they inherited from their mother. They carried themselves in the same manner and although Katherine was typically more animated than Isabel, they used the same gestures often. Their facial expressions generally were the same. They walked and stood the same, even if Isabel was in her usual low-heels and Katherine was in her usual sneakers. Seeing them together and watching them move told that they were sisters more than their appearance did.

Isabel stayed back in the crowd. She had a clear view of what was going on thanks to the position that she chose and thanks to her height. She took in the guards faces and how heated they looked. She tried to consider what her sister might have done to have the guards appearing as if she had beaten up their mothers. She then turned her attention to Kat to see how she would react to the murderous fury directed toward her.

Kat made a fist and was undoubtedly about to start a fight since that was the best way to solve a problem in her opinion. She then noticed her big sister standing off to the side. She grinned, monstrously wide, which her mother and sister never understood. The blonde teen seemed to think on things for a moment before lowering her hands and walking off toward Isabel, acting almost like the guards and the argument never existed.

“Hey there, Izzie,” Kat greeted her older sibling, smiling all the way through her sister’s hated nickname. It was like she was proud to say the nickname.

Isabel did not look amused by the greeting. “Hello, Katherine,” she calmly shot back with a stoic expression on her face.

Kat’s expression dropped at the sound of her whole name. “You know, if you wanna make this a contest, you’re gonna lose eventually,” she informed her big sister. After all, Isabel had more nicknames and was also named after their grandmother (the evil old bat).

“Then I’ll just kick your ass in front everyone, like always and like those four rent-a-cops were going to do,” Isabel countered with an taunting smirk on her face.

Kat scoffed. “Them kicking my ass is just as unlikely as you doing it,” she retorted while glancing back at the bewildered security guards, who were confused because of the way that Katherine had just walked out of the argument. The sisters moved on before the guards could regain their wits.

“If you want to test it out, I’m all for it,” Isabel stated quite seriously. She folded her arms across her chest as they continued on through the large, multi-story mall.

Kat laughed a bit and smiled. “I’m not in the mood to beat your ass today. Let’s go get a smoothie,” she suggested.

Isabel shrugged; she liked smoothies just as much as Kat. The sisters had to turn around and go the other way to get to the food court. They went passed the guards again, stepping in a matching powerful stride. The crowd that had been gathered to because of the noise level that Kat created during the argument began to disperse and the security guards went about their business too since the reason for all of the commotion was gone.

“What was that all about?” Isabel asked her sister while jerking her head backwards, referring to the whole incident with the guards.

“Damn idiots gonna try to tell me I was shoplifting,” Kat answered with a look of disbelief.

“You were,” Isabel stated. It was not a guess. Kat had a thing for shop-lifting useless junk just to show that she could do it; she prided herself on having fast hands. The younger teen had the unconventional habit of returning things after she had gotten away with her crime.

“I was, but I didn’t have nothing on me when they said something about it. They’re too slow to catch on,” Kat replied with an amused laugh.

“Of course.”

The sisters went and got their smoothies. They took seats in the food court, sitting against a wall out of habit. They looked around for a moment, in case something on display somewhere caught their eyes. Nothing looked impressive, except maybe some food, Isabel thought. She did not know why she was hungry since she had eaten breakfast that morning. Breakfast generally held up until she was settled down for dinner.

“You okay, sis? You look a bit paler than usual,” Kat noted while gulping down her drink; to hell with using the straw.

“I haven’t been feeling too good lately,” Isabel admitted nonchalantly, making it sound like it was no big deal.

“PMS,” Kat teased, sticking her tongue out at her big sister just to be silly.

Isabel sucked her teeth to the childish response and decided to sip her smoothie rather than to get into bickering with Kat. The blonde was not done, though. She had something and she was going to run with it until she did not find it funny anymore.

“Or worse still, you’re pregnant,” Kat commented with an exceptionally devilish look on her face. She was smiling like she just pulled the most wicked of pranks on her big sister.

“Please, if anyone here is going to get pregnant, it would be you,” Isabel retorted with rather rude snort. “After all, how many boyfriends do you have?”

“At the moment?” Kat inquired, smiling impishly all the way through. “Hey, I know what I’m doing. You don’t.”

“What the hell do you mean I don’t?” Isabel demanded to know with a confused and slightly offended look on her face.

“I mean you don’t know what you’re doing, duh. What the hell don’t you get?” Kat countered.

“What exactly is it that I don’t know?”

“Well, for one, not to sleep with a total jerk and have the nerve to see him more than you see me,” Kat stated, half-joking and half-serious. She did think that Jason was a jerk and she did somewhat resent that her big sister saw him more than her sometimes.

Isabel found herself rolling her eyes as she realized that she had got all offended for nothing. Kat was just being ridiculous as usual, in her opinion anyway. The elder sister turned her attention back to her strawberry smoothie for a moment and then decided to get Kat’s whereabouts the other night.

“So, where were you when we were all supposed to be getting paid?” Isabel asked curiously.

“I was getting paid. Got challenged to a fight in school, met up with the dude that night, and whipped his ass,” Kat explained with a proud grin.

“You couldn’t have made more than fifty dollars off of a fight like that,” Isabel commented.

“It’s the damn principle of the matter. He’s been dicking with me and dicking with me for a while now, so I had to show him who’s really in charge,” the blonde remarked.

Isabel nodded because she did understand that. There were times when she would also forsake a night’s work where she could make thousands to go fight someone for nothing more than pride. Things like that about the sisters drove Ellie crazy because she could not fathom losing so much money just to show some little goof-ball that she was the superior fighter. Sometimes, money was not everything, the sisters thought.

“How much did I miss out on?” Kat asked with a curious look on her face.

“Enough,” Isabel answered cryptically. She knew that Kat did not really want to know the answer because she never wanted to know. Sometimes, missing out on a night of “work” because of their pride hurt their wallet enough for them to think that pride could have taken a backseat that night.

Kat sucked her teeth indifferently, as if saying that the money did not matter to her. “I make enough from videos to not have to worry about that shit anyway,” she stated with a shrug.

Isabel did not argue that matter because she knew that Kat did make enough money off of her videos to tide her over until their big fight night, which sometimes could be over a month off. Kat sold recordings of her fights and Isabel’s fights if she could get them on tape, which was a bit rare. She usually caught their fights if they were together and headed out to defend their pride against some idiot that swore to high heaven he could beat one of them. She had three volumes worth of recordings though, each an hour long with a collection of fights on them. She sold plenty of them in school; boys could not get enough of them.

“I bet it wasn’t that fun anyway,” Katherine muttered under her breath while putting her cup back to her mouth to finish off her strawberry smoothie.

“Keep telling yourself that,” Isabel replied with a teasing smile as she stood up.

“Where you going?” Kat asked.

“To mind my business,” Isabel answered, teasing, but serious on higher level. The little sister should never question the big sister in her opinion and she had lived by that through out Kat’s life. It was something like a code in their family, not just their immediate family, but in their family at large.

“Don’t make me get out of this chair and make you tell me,” the blonde threatened her big sister and she would start a nice little scene if necessary, but then again, if she started one, Isabel had no qualms with finishing it.

“I wish you would get out of the chair,” the elder sister stated with a rather amused look dancing in her emerald eyes.

Kat just made a mocking face while Isabel went to get some junk food. When Kat noticed her big sister on a food line, she practically bounced over to Isabel, wanting her big sis to buy something for her too. Isabel rolled her eyes, but had no problem with the request. Once they got some burgers and fries, they went to sit back down.

“Wanna go to the movies?” Kat asked out of the blue.

“I guess. I don’t have anything better to do. We’re not just going there to kill time, right? There’s actually a movie you want to see?” Isabel countered. They could always go do something productive if Kat was just looking to kill time.

“No, there’s this hot new movie out that we just gotta see together. Gotta get you there before you go with the jerk and waste ten bucks just to make out in a dark place,” Kat teased with a smirk on her face.

“Don’t confuse me with you,” Isabel retorted.

Kat scoffed and then grinned like the devil. “I already wasted money doing that. It was great. I’d recommend it if only you weren’t dating that asshole.”

Isabel just rolled her eyes. They finished their meal and went to the movies. They spent the rest of the day together. They parted when Kat was talking about going home. Isabel was not looking to go to the house and possibly see their mother, so she went home too.

\----(New day)

Isabel was in her pajamas of a plain black tank-top and flimsy, tiny shorts. She was in her bathroom, sitting against her bathtub, which was a plain white, rectangular cut tub that was against the white-tiled wall. She had her head thrown back over the tub, her ebony hair falling into the empty basin. She had a hand draped over her stomach while the other hand was balled into a fist on the cool, tiled floor. Her emerald eyes were focusing on the white ceiling, staring blankly at a certain area of the ceiling. She seemed to be stuck in an eternal exhale.

“Oh, god, can I just get sick and get it over with?” she silently begged whoever could read her thoughts.

She felt like she was getting sick, but was not quite there yet. She felt nauseous and dizzy, but nothing too serious. It had taken her off her feet that morning, but she was pretty sure that after a few minutes of sitting there, she would be able to go about her day like normal.

“Come on, body. Stop screwing me over and just act right, damn it,” Isabel pled with herself.

The ill feeling was not passing. In fact, it was just getting worse. She lurched forward, diving head first into the toilet. She groaned as her breakfast vacated her stomach. She coughed a few times, trying to get the vile taste out of her mouth and any other muck that wished to come up. She moaned in misery while just resting there for a few seconds after flushing everything that just abandoned her belly. She then picked herself up from the bowl to wash her mouth out.

Isabel rinsed her mouth, brushed her teeth, and sat back down again. She did not feel any better, even though her stomach had emptied itself. She leaned against the cool edge of the tub and hoped that it eased the ache out of her.

She was not sure how long she just sat there, wanting the sick feeling to pass. She could hear the phone ringing in the front room. She groaned and tried to get up, but it would seem that her legs were not obeying any commands from her brain right now. She did not even care and just remained against the tub.

“Hey, you home?” Isabel heard her friend Ellie call from the front of the apartment after a while.

“I’m in the back,” Isabel replied with another miserable moan.

“You sound like crap,” Ellie commented as her footsteps reached the bathroom, letting Isabel know that her friend was coming to join her. When the brown-haired female made it to the room, she added to her statement. “You look like crap too.”

“I feel like I look,” Isabel assured her friend.

“What’s wrong with you?” Ellie asked, even though she was pretty certain that she knew what was wrong.

“I think I’m getting sick.”

“No duh. You look like it. Want some help up?” the high-strung female offered.

“Thank you.”

Ellie leaned down and offered her hand. Isabel eyed the hand for a moment as if she needed to focus on it before she could take hold of the hand. They gripped each other’s hands and Ellie was about to start pulling, but she was held up.

“Hold on, hold on, hold on,” Isabel implored her companion, sounding as if she was labored just from holding hands.

Ellie sighed impatiently while Isabel closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. Once the sickly female was done, Ellie gave a heave, but Isabel was not budging. Ellie frowned.

“Now, you know good and well that I can’t lift you if you just sit there like a bump on a log. Get your ass up,” Ellie huffed. She knew that the amazon on the floor had to be messed up if Isabel was not even trying.

Isabel grimaced a bit before tugging on Ellie’s limb, letting the chocolate-eyed woman know that she was really ready to get up. Isabel stood up and groaned once more. She closed her eyes and put her hand to her mouth, just in case she was going to throw up again. Ellie curled her lip up, looking half-confused and half-disgusted with her friend’s current state.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Ellie inquired, almost as if Isabel’s condition was her own fault in someway.

“Damn it, didn’t I just say I’m getting sick?” Isabel countered with a bit of an angry snort.

“Don’t get snippy with me,” Ellie replied with an attitude.

“What the hell are you doing here?” the taller female asked in an impatient tone. Now that she was up, she wanted to get her friend out of the way, so she could go collapse on her bed and sleep for the rest of her life.

“I called you about four times and you didn’t pick up. I called your cell phone just as many times and you didn’t pick up. So, I thought something might be wrong. Yet, here you are, just lying on the bathroom floor, looking pathetic. You’re like a guy when they get sick,” Ellie remarked and sucked her teeth for no reason.

Isabel waved her friend off. She knew what Ellie meant since she had been around Jason on the few occasions when he was sick. Jason acted like the world was coming to an end when he had a little cold. She did not think that was accurate of her behavior, especially since she felt seriously ill.

The raven-haired female stepped past her good friend, dragging her feet to get out of the bathroom. Ellie watched her friend go to her bedroom and then she followed behind. The bedroom was a decent size with closets lined up against the wall that was adjacent to the door. There was a lone window on the far side of the room, opposite the door. The bed was lined up against the wall that was opposite the closets.

The bed was covered with a deep black spread. Isabel curled up on her full-sized bed, laying her head on one fluffy, silk-covered pillow while cuddling the other to her chest. She sighed as soon as she was settled in, ready to just sleep until the end of time.

“Iz, go take a shower and get dressed,” Ellie ordered after a few moments of watching her friend.

“For what?” Isabel groaned in a low, groggy voice. She wanted Ellie to go away now so she could get some rest.

“I’m going to take you to the doctor,” the shorter female explained.

“Doctor? I don’t need no damn doctor,” Isabel stated soundly. “I’ve just got a little bug or something. Don’t worry about it,” she said in a dismissive manner.

Isabel did not make it a habit to go to the doctor. When she was little, her mother took her for an annual check-up, like everyone was supposed to have. If she ever got sick in between that time, which was rare, her mother told her to get over it quick. Life did not change because of the flu or something like that.

“You look like you’ve got more than a little bug. Come on, let me take you to the doctor,” Ellie insisted.

“No. I’ll be fine. I just need some sleep,” Isabel said with a yawn.

Ellie decided to concede the struggle for the moment. Isabel would come around eventually, she thought. There was always the chance that Isabel was right too. After all, the amazon had to know her own body better than anyone, Ellie thought.

Isabel was sleeping before Ellie was out of the front door. Ellie made sure to lock up as she left; she had a set of keys. She did make a note to call Isabel later on to check on her friend. When she called later in the afternoon, Isabel sounded much better. It was quite the relief.

\----(New day)

“Iz?” Ellie called, sounding annoyed and frustrated as she entered the apartment.

“Bathroom,” Isabel replied with a groan.

“Of course,” Ellie muttered and she sucked her teeth. Her friend was always in the bathroom now.

Ellie went to the door and was not surprised to find the raven-haired female on the floor. Isabel was leaning against the tub with her head thrown back. She looked like she was pleading with the ceiling to make the sickness end.

“Iz, just get dressed,” Ellie begged.

“Give me a second and I’ll be fine,” Isabel lied and she knew that she was lying. In a second, she was still going to feel fatigued and ready to throw up. She would not be better until she got off of the floor and slept for another hour.

“Just get the hell up and go to the damn doctor!” Ellie huffed, closing her eyes in aggravation as she spoke.

Isabel chuckled a bit. She was tickled that she was getting on Ellie’s nerves enough for her goody-goody friend to be casually swearing. She then groaned, which put a wicked smile on Ellie’s face since she knew that Isabel was laughing at her.

“Ready to go now?” Ellie inquired smugly.

“I’ll be fine, El,” Isabel insisted while trying to wave her friend off. It took a lot of effort to put her hand up, but she managed it.

“You’ve been saying that all week and you’re not fine. Just get up or I’ll call your mother,” the brown-haired female proclaimed, looking quite self-righteous since she believed she had her friend. They were going to do things her way now.

Isabel’s eyes went wide with…fear. “You wouldn’t,” she said in a low voice. Her tone was one of begging.

“Try me,” Ellie dared her good friend as she pulled out her cell phone.

Isabel’s jaw tightened as she turned her emerald eyes to her friend. There was a sharp look in her gaze, but that was matched by Ellie’s own cocoa eyes. They remained like that for some very long seconds and then Isabel sucked her teeth, turning her head as she made the noise.

“Help me up,” Isabel requested/ordered. She clearly resented what was happening and she spoke in a mumble.

Ellie bent down and offered her hand. Isabel wasted no time taking up the offer and she climbed to her feet. She went to her room, but she did not fall into her bed like she wanted to do. She went into her closet, looking for something decent to go to the doctor’s office in. She had to go or Ellie would call her mother, after all. No one wanted to have to deal with _that_.

-8-8-8-8-

Isabel hated going to her doctor, which explained the deep scowl on her face as she entered the office with Ellie at her side. Her attitude toward her doctor was more than likely due to the fact that her doctor was also her cousin. Her smartass cousin. Well, her whole family was full of smartasses, but to have a doctor that was also a family member was pure torture.

“So, what’s wrong with Little Izzie?” the doctor inquired in a rather light tone while walking into the examination room where her patient was waiting for her. The room was small with the usual doctor things inside of it, like a scale, a counter with a sink, gauze, gloves, cotton swabs, and things of that nature.

Isabel only frowned while turning her attention to her cousin. The woman was Isabel’s senior by almost fifteen years, but she did not look more than a couple of years older than Isabel. She was close to being Isabel’s height, but not quite there. She had a slender figure that was hidden by her white coat that seemed to be standard uniform for doctors. Her skin was an olive tone that was close to being a light caramel. She had shoulder length blonde hair that was pulled into a ponytail, just to make her look a little mature and business-like. She had kind blue eyes; it was a lie as far as Isabel was concerned.

“Don’t call me that,” Isabel grumbled from the cold examining table.

“Why not? Aren’t you Little Izzie?” her cousin grinned wickedly.

“Look, Jo, I’m probably just fighting a cold. So, give me the once over like the hack you are and send me on my way before I shove that stethoscope some place you’re not going to like. Some place I’m sure you’ll never be able to get it back,” Isabel replied through gritted teeth.

The doctor, first name Jo, smiled. “Little Izzie’s always so grumpy. Let’s see if we can’t find out what’s wrong with her, so she can go back to being adorably like her grandma,” she teased.

Isabel growled, deeply insulted by her cousin’s tone, which was one an adult would use on a small child. The affront that Isabel was feeling was also because her cousin dared to compare her to her evil grandmother; her grandmother was actually Jo’s aunt. Being named after that woman did not make her anything like her grandmother!

Jo continued to smile, getting a kick out of teasing Isabel like always. She then went onto do her job…sort of. It was sort of because Isabel actually had no medical insurance, but also had no intention of paying for what she believed was a useless trip. Jo, being one of the better members of Isabel’s family, was not looking to charge her little cousin if it could be helped. She preferred to look out for Isabel to make sure that her young cousin did not drift to one of those seedy, underworld doctors since she was a street fighter.

As Jo went through everything and Isabel told her what the problem was, Jo began to have her suspicions. She could guess how her little cousin might react when she voiced that theory, but Isabel needed to know. Jo was actually a little surprised that Isabel herself had not suspected it. She guessed that Isabel did not think about it because she would rather it not be true, but all evidence pointed to one thing.

“Iz, I know you’re not going to want to hear this one, but I think you might be pregnant,” Jo informed her.

“Pregnant?!” Isabel shrieked. Sure, her sister had suggested it in jest over a week ago, but to hear a certified, licensed doctor say it after a complete physical was another matter. After all, it might be true coming from a doctor.

Jo grimaced from the sound of her cousin’s voice. She was sure that the whole medical center heard that incredulous cry. She did have to hold in a laugh when she caught sight of Isabel’s expression, which was borderline pathetic with the way her jade eyes were wide, her mouth was open as if it was ready to hit the floor, and her eyebrows practically jumped off of her face from being shot up so high.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Jason’s reaction to Isabel being pregnant.


	4. Split decision

Chapter 4: Split decision

Isabel sat on her comfy black sofa with an intense expression on her face, reflecting the fact that she was in deep thought. The apartment was silent for the most part; she did not want anything around her that could even count as a distraction. She needed to take some time to get her mind in order.

Her lime green eyes seemed to focusing on the empty cushion next to her, but that was not really registering to her mind. Her hands were resting on her beautiful pale legs, which were curled up on her side, out on display due to the fact that she was wearing some particularly short shorts. The leather underneath her was soothing in its coolness, but it was not taking her mind off of the matter at hand. She was pregnant.

There was no escaping that fact either. Hell, three store-brought tests and her busybody doctor of a cousin had to be accurate. She just was not sure how she felt about her current condition and she was trying to come to terms with it.

“Don’t worry, little one. I’m not thinking about getting rid of you,” Isabel assured the spark of life in her womb.

She smiled while pressing her hand lightly to her well-toned stomach. No, she would not be getting an abortion or giving her baby up for adoption. She was going to have the baby and keep the child. To her, that was her only option. She rather liked the idea of having a baby, even though she had not planned for it.

Isabel could not help wondering how it happened. She and Jason always used protection. He seemed more concerned about that than she did and was never without a condom when he was in her presence, just in case. Well, she supposed that it was possible that the condom broke one time and they failed to notice.

“He’s probably not going to like this…” Isabel muttered to herself, referring to Jason.

She guessed that the real problem with dating a pompous jackass showed up when there was a wrinkle in the relationship that could not be ironed out. She knew that Jason was not going to be happy and he might not even agree with her decision to keep the baby. She could almost hear his arguments against her having the baby, which she dismissed in her head before her brain even started up. She was not even going to listen to him if he brought those things up when she told him about their baby.

Well, Isabel figured that she would give him the benefit of the doubt for the moment. No reason in getting worked up when he might actually surprise her. That would be nice, she thought with a smile. Jason could want the baby and be ready to be a father, even though they never talked about having kids. To be honest, she never really wanted to be tied to him like that. But, Fate had stepped in and now he was going to be in her life forever. Oh, Kat was going to love that, she thought with a chuckle.

Isabel shifted on the sofa while her thoughts went back to Jason. She hoped that he was ready to be a father, even if it did mean that she was going to have to be around him for the rest of their lives now. But, it would make things better. She would like for their baby to have two parents. Supposedly, that was the best way for children to grow up, although Isabel could hardly recall her father and she liked to believe that she was all right. Her sister was all right too. And Jason had both of his parents and he was an ass as far as they were concerned.

“Maybe he’ll change for you, kid. I’m sure a traditional guy like him would like to know he’s having a baby…although I’m sure he would’ve preferred to plan it out and be out of school and everything,” Isabel commented, rubbing her stomach a little bit as she spoke.

She would find out Jason’s opinion on the matter soon enough. The next day, she got dressed and was prepared for that long train ride to see the love of her life. For the first time, she was not content to observe the people getting on and off the train. She was just wondering how Jason was going to react to her news. The more she thought about, the more she got upset because she expected him to react negatively. Being on the train in the cold was not helping her mood.

Nothing probably would have helped her mood because she was just thinking negatively. She did not acknowledge that fact for the train ride, though. It was not until she got off of the train that she realized that she was making herself up; she was the one to blame for her foul mood.

“Okay, it is my fault I feel this way,” she muttered to herself.

On the walk to Jason’s dorm, Isabel tried to calm herself down. She attempting to reason with herself by pointing out that she was getting worked up over something that had not even happened yet. There was a chance, albeit a slim on, that Jason would be pleased with the unplanned for surprise that she had. She just could not foresee him acting in a manner that would be nice because it was rare that he ever did anything that she wanted on his own.

“Annoying bastard,” she commented, apparently angry with Jason already. She was just working with the pattern that he started and that was why she was only getting more upset with everything.

The chill nip of the air bit at Isabel’s nose, which was the one part of her face that she did not have covered. She was bundled up from head to toe, looking to protect her health as best she could, even though she figured that she should have called a cab to take her to the university instead of walking. She just wanted some time to get her thoughts together, although she was just as conflicted now rather than calming down as she was trying to do. In her current mood, she feared that she was going to bite Jason’s head off before he even did or said something that she disagreed with.

Isabel took a deep breath as she came to Jason’s dorm room. Calm down, she mentally ordered herself. There was no reason to be upset yet, she reminded herself. He might actually want to be a daddy. Oh, that would be so nice, she thought and she decided to just hope, wish, and pray that he wanted to be a daddy.

“Calm down,” she said to herself again and she took a few more deep breaths. Her heart rate finally started to relax some and her nerves eased down a bit.

The raven-haired beauty willed herself to knock on the door after she was certain that she was as calm as she was going to be for the day. He called out “hold on” and it took him a few seconds to answer the door. That only soured her more, which caused her to frown deeply.

She could not help wondering what he was doing to not answer the door immediately, especially since he knew that she was coming over. She figured that he needed to be waiting for her and answering the door as soon as she touched it to signal that she was there; that was brought on because of her bitter mood.

“Isabel,” Jason greeted her as he opened the door with a warm smile. He bent down to embrace her before she could say anything.

Isabel did not return the hug. Instead, she looked off to his left side to see into his room. She was scanning to see if she could find any reason that prevented him from answering the door instantly. There was nothing going on, some buzz from the television and his computer was on. He was probably just doing school work, she told herself. She had worried for nothing.

“Isabel?” Jason said in a puzzled tone because she was not hugging him back.

“Dearest, we need to talk,” Isabel said in a plain tone while stepping out of his arms. She unbuttoned her coat and began to peel off all of her outside gear. If she left it on, she would have burst into flames because his dorm was heated to the point that he was in a pair of shorts and sleeveless tee-shirt.

“Talk?” he echoed while following her with his eyes and shutting his door. He did not like the look on her face.

Isabel appeared sorrowful for the first time that her boyfriend could recall. He had seen many expressions on her face, but never one that looked sad. He watched her sit down on the bed, almost like a businesswoman getting prepared to propose a deal. He gulped, not liking the new side of her. She was being much too serious.

“Come, dearest. Sit with me,” Isabel clearly ordered while patting the empty space on the bed. There was not hint of her usual playfulness in her tone. She even made the term of endearment of “dearest” sound cold and dead.

Jason nodded, not wishing to start an argument, especially since he was starting to assume something bad was going to happen. He wondered if she was going to break up with him since she was so serious and they needed “to talk.” He took a deep breath and fulfilled her request, sitting next to her. She lurched toward him slightly as his weight hit the bed and then she locked eyes with him. He gulped again; was she going to end it all for them now?

It took all of Jason’s willpower not to tremble right in front of her. He reminded himself how she reviewed weakness and shaking before her would definitely be a sign of weakness. He could not chance that because he wanted her to stay with him, forever if possible. So, he needed to work on getting her to change her mind if she was going to break things off with him.

“Isabel, before you say anything, you know I love you, right?” Jason asked, sounding almost desperate and then he mentally chided himself for that stupid question. He had to sound so pathetic, he thought. Now, she was going to think lesser of him than she already did, which would only fuel her effort to breakup with him, he feared.

Isabel smiled a bit. “I do hope that is the case, Jason, since I’m pregnant,” she announced casually. She could not help her tone since that was typically the way she spoke unless she was annoyed.

“Pregnant?” he echoed as if he did not know what that was. His face shifted from utter worry to total confusion.

“Yes, I’m pregnant,” she repeated, sterner than before.

Jason balked and the expression that followed did not help Isabel’s mood. He looked aghast, as if she was a zombie that had risen from the grave right before his eyes. She resisted the urge to punch his statuesque jaw and decided to just continue on, but he spoke first.

“How did this happen?” he asked in a horrified voice, like she told him that he had some kind of deadly disease.

“I imagine the condom broke one time and we failed to notice,” she answered as if it was nothing.

“But…but…but…condoms almost never fail,” he argued, staggering through the sentence because of panic.

“Keyword: almost. Apparently, at least one time the condom failed us,” she pointed out the obvious.

Jason was silent for a moment and then his eyes narrowed for a moment. Isabel frowned, as if she could read his thoughts. She figured that she had better stop him before his next question forced her to kill him in a very brutal manner.

“Yes, I’m sure it’s yours,” she informed him with an attitude.

Jason sputtered for a moment, as if he was not thinking of asking her that. It had been on the tip of his tongue to actually ask Isabel if she was sure that he was the father. He was thankful now that she stopped him. Surely had that question left his mouth, she would have beaten him to death, he realized. He needed to be smart about the next questions, he told himself. After all, he knew that Isabel had a temper and he was not sure what she might do with emotions running high in regards to her being pregnant.

“So…what are you going to do?” Jason inquired in a quiet, almost shy tone, hoping that was the right question to ask. He looked away from her for a moment, frightened that her temper might flare. He even braced himself for a hit that he was certain would hard more than any football tackle.

“I’m keeping it,” Isabel answered in an assured tone. She was definitely keeping it, even though she had no idea what she was going to do with a baby.

Jason was shocked by that and now his mouth was ahead of him. “Are you sure? I mean, I can pay—”

Isabel cut him off with a dangerous growl. “I’m keeping it,” she insisted soundly. If he even uttered the word “abortion” she was going to grab a pen off of his desk and repeatedly shove it in his eye until she could not move her arm anymore.

Jason nodded to show that he understood while his heart sped up a bit because she seemed to be getting furious. He cleared his throat to hopefully ease away some of the anxiety rising inside of him. His heart continued pounding against his ribs though, like a batting ram against a fort’s main entrance.

The tension between him and Isabel was almost tangible. Jason would not be surprised if it started pushing him back; if not the tension then the indignant waves radiating from the martial artist. He did not stick to his plan of thinking about his questions before they left his mouth, though; mostly because he did not really agree with her decision. So, he obviously was not going to make the situation better.

“Isabel, be reasonable. What’re you going to do with a baby?” he inquired, as if that was not going to be perceived as an insulting question by her.

Isabel was incensed to that question and it showed on her face. A bright red flared through from her neck to her forehead. If her hair was not jet black, it probably would have turned scarlet right with her face for a few seconds.

“What the fuck do you mean by that!” she demanded to know, shouting because of her anger. “You don’t think I’d be a good mother? Well, fuck you!” She stood up, ready to leave it seemed. He was lucky that she did not punch his teeth in for such a question.

“Isabel, calm down,” he begged while grabbing her arm to make sure that she did not exit the room. He was not thinking about the fact that she might actually strike him to get him off of her considering how upset she was.

“No! I don’t have to take this shit!” she declared in a roar.

“I didn’t mean it like that! I’m sure you’ll make a great mother!” he informed her, sounding insistent with the hope that she would calm down.

“Then why’d you ask what the hell I was going to do with a baby?” she demanded to know, making a fist with her free hand now. He did not seem to notice.

“Iz, you’re nineteen with no job, no degree to fall back on. How are you going to raise a baby?” he inquired, looking seriously confused. If he noticed her fist, he probably would have given a less than honest answer, but everything was happening too fast for him.

“Considering the fact that it’s your baby too, I stupidly assumed that you might give enough of a damn to help out!” she pointed out in a fury.

Tears were beginning to gather in Isabel’s emerald eyes. She was not sure if the tears were from anger or sorrow, but she knew that she was doing something embarrassing and unlike herself that she needed to stop doing. The more that she tried to stop crying, the more tears slid down her milky cheeks. She growled in frustration, but continued on weeping.

“Isabel,” Jason said in a soothing tone while standing up. He wrapped his strong arms around her and held her to him in a secure fashion. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “I do give a damn and you know I would never let you raise our child on your own,” he said in a whisper, like he was telling her something overly romantic.

The words did seem to relax Isabel and she leaned into him a little bit. She continued to weep, much to her chagrin, but she buried her face in Jason’s chest to avoid having him look at her. He did the right thing for once and just held her. He put a hand to the back of her head and caressed her scalp with tender care.

“I want this baby,” Isabel whispered. She might not have planned for it, but she wanted it now that it was there.

“I know…” Jason replied in a bit of a distant tone.

The ebony-haired female frowned a bit. She wanted him to say that he wanted the baby too, but it would seem that she was not going to get that much from him. Well, at least things were going better than she thought they would, mostly because she was not reacting in the way that she planned on it.

“Well, since we’re in this together and we’ve got a little one on the way, maybe we should…you know…” Jason suggested, sounding rather unsure, even though he was trying to propose something that he was rather in favor of.

Isabel pulled away because she was confused with what he was talking about. “Should what?” she asked in a bemused tone.

“Get married,” he proposed, as if it was the most normal and logical thing of all time.

Isabel coughed from the shock. Well, that stopped her from crying at least. Her tears almost instantly dried up while her mind started to race. Married? To Jason? She was starting to understand why her mother probably ate her father because she was certain a year of marriage to Jason would result in her doing the same. She would probably eat Jason and have a bottle of wine while doing it. Knowing him, he would give her indigestion, she thought.

“Um…Jason,” Isabel said while stepping away from him to look him in the face as she answer. She wanted to say something that would avoid hurting his feelings, even though he had just trampled all over her emotions, but she damn sure was not going to accept such a proposal. “This isn’t right,” she opted to reply.

“What? What’s wrong with it?” Jason inquired in a slightly bemused tone, his eyes laced with confusion and his eyebrows curled up.

“You wouldn’t have proposed to me if I wasn’t pregnant. You weren’t thinking about getting married until this very moment. That’s not fair to either of us,” Isabel explained in a calm tone, trying her best to make sure her words were not rushed. She did not want things to get out of control with him getting angry because that would only stir up her emotions, which might lead her to remembering that she was already making a tight fist anyway.

Jason took her statement in and nodded. “I guess that’s right,” he concurred while casting his gaze at the floor. He seemed rather disappointed in the fact.

Isabel was relieved that he agreed, but she did make sure not to sigh while she was right in front of him. She had never saw marriage in her future and she was not about to start. She would take the baby and she would pray that Jason would be a good father, but that was about all. She did not want him entertaining ideas of ever being her husband, _ever_.

“I don’t want us getting married just because of this baby,” Isabel said, still speaking slowly and calmly. She did not want them to get married at all.

“So…does that mean I can’t ever propose to you because you’ll always think I’m doing it because of the baby?” he inquired, squinting somewhat because he was confused by that.

Isabel nodded and found her heart almost breaking from the look of sorrow that shot across Jason’s face. She steeled herself, reminding herself that things were going the way that they needed to. She would not want to marry Jason, not because of a baby and certainly not out of pity. He was just going to have to get over it. It was for the best, after all, especially if Jason enjoyed living.

“So, now what?” Jason asked in a smaller voice than usual. He was trying to will himself to take the news that he could not purpose to her like the strong man he was, but it hurt a lot. He would love nothing more than to make Isabel his wife and take care of her and their baby like the responsible man he believed himself to be.

The thought of Isabel with his name almost brought a smile to his face; the fact that it would never happen prevented anything that could be mistaken for a smile from forming. They would have been such a beautiful family, he believed. He was not going to give up that dream, he silently decided. There had to be someway for him to convince Isabel that he wanted to marry her for her and not because they had a baby, but there would be time for that later.

“Well, I figure I’ll have to tell my mother at some point in time,” Isabel answered in reference to his question. She secretly dreaded that moment, especially after seeing how Jason reacted. She had envisioned how her mother might react and really had no desire to see that. After all, her mother would not restrain herself.

Jason was not sure what to say to that. He knew Isabel’s mother well enough to know that was not going to be a pleasant exchange. In fact, he thought that Isabel’s mother was quite the rude cow, but he would never say that out loud, not with Isabel standing within earshot anyway.

He had only insulted Isabel’s mother once aloud, after meeting her for the first time. He had made a comment that he could not even recall now when he and Isabel left the house and got into his car for him to take Isabel home. He would never forget the indignation in Isabel’s face when he insulted her mother and he had no doubt that he was one word away from death that night. To avoid killing Jason, Isabel got out of the car and walked home that night.

Isabel tried to forget that that night ever happened while Jason could never forget it. There was no way for him to forget it because of the frightening flare that had been in her eyes. Isabel just felt like she needed to forget that night because of the way that she had come to her mother’s defense.

“Well, you don’t have to tell her right away,” he pointed out in a bit of a soothing tone.

“I know,” she replied. She had to tell her mother at some point though and that was nerve-wrecking in thought alone.

Jason was silent for a moment as he realized that a crisis had been averted and Isabel seemed to be calm for the most part. He decided that they should sit down and discuss the situation a bit more. He eased down onto the bed with Isabel still in his arms. She did not object to the actions and passively followed his lead. He moved until his back was against the wall at the head of the bed and he practically cradled her in his arms. Her legs were slung across his lap and her head was resting on his shoulder. She was rather comfortable with her position, which actually bothered her.

Isabel wished to the heavens that she knew why Jason had such a soothing affect on her. Why did his embrace make her feel safe, comfortable, and loved? It made no sense to her and it made her keep coming to a man that she knew was not right for her. But then again, if he was not right for her, surely she would not get such feelings from being with him, she considered.

Jason noticed that Isabel was as calm as she might ever be. He liked that he had that affect on her. It felt like he had the ability to tame a hurricane and let him know that she was not always the one in control like she liked to be. It seemed to him that he could affect her in the same way that she affected him.

He also liked that he was able to calm her down just because it was great to be able to do something positive for her. Sometimes, he did fear that all he could do was upset her. It was times like the one that they were now that let him know that there was a reason that Isabel stayed with him. He was happy that he could help her out.

“So, how far along are you?” he asked. His voice was pretty much the same, not too curious or concerned.

“About seven weeks along,” she answered.

“When did you go to the doctor about this?” he inquired. Had she suspected and just did not tell him until she was sure? He was a bit insulted by that if it was the case. They were a couple, so she should tell him everything in his opinion.

“About a week ago. I didn’t want to go to the doctor about it, but Ellie forced me to go because she thought I was really sick. I didn’t think it was really a big deal, but Ellie forced me to go and I found out at the check up that I was pregnant,” she explained casually. She was not looking to spare his feelings, just telling it like it was.

“You didn’t think it was a really big deal?” he asked. He figured that pregnancy was something that a woman would suspect after a while, so he was not sure if she was telling him exactly what happened. It was not that he thought that she was liar, but Isabel had a habit of just putting things too lightly.

“I just thought I was getting sick, but never quite there. Ellie got sick of it after a few days and forced me to go see the doctor. And that’s when I found out about our little one,” she answered with a bit of a smile as she put her hand against her stomach. The more that she thought out their baby, the more eager she got for the child’s arrival. She was not sure how she was going to last thirty-three more weeks of pregnancy.

Jason could tell from her expression that she was really happy about the baby. Part of her him dared to wonder if she had planned for it, but he brushed that thought aside. He knew that was ridiculous. He trusted Isabel and while she might be difficult, she was not underhanded. If she wanted to have a baby before now, she would have straight out told him that, he knew that quite well.

“So, what do you want?” the football player asked his girl curiously.

Isabel shrugged; she had not thought about that. She thought that she would get along great with a daughter, but she would not mind having a son. Boys were a rarity in her family; one out of every four kids was boy, maybe even less than that. She would not mind having a baby boy; she would raise him to be a little bad boy, she thought with a laugh. It would drive Jason out of his mind.

“You want a son, don’t you?” Isabel inquired, even though she knew the answer to that.

“Well, it would be nice,” he answered with a smile of his own. He would shape the boy in his own image. Maybe even name the boy after him and then he glanced down at Isabel. Hmm, maybe not, he corrected himself.

Isabel chuckled a bit; Jason was so transparent. She imagined how he was already planning on having a son and raising the boy the same way that he was raised. She was going to have to burst his bubble on that one when the child was born.

“Have you started thinking about names or anything?” he inquired because he knew that sometimes Isabel was far ahead of the situation. Life was almost like a constant chess match with her.

“I haven’t thought too much on names. I figured I’d wait to see what we were having and then maybe we could go through names together,” she suggested with a bit of a content smile.

He seemed shocked by that. “Really?”

“Yes, this is our baby after all,” she stated while taking his hand and resting it on her stomach. He did not really react to the gesture, but she did not expect him to because there was not much he could do aside of keep his hand there, which he did. She was carrying their baby and she was going to try her best to include Jason in things as an equal because she wanted the child to have as much love as possible.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: meet Isabel’s mother.

 


	5. Show down

Chapter 5: Show down

Isabel had gotten one out of two difficult things in her life out of the way. She had told Jason that she was pregnant and dodged a bullet of him proposing to her after she informed him that she was keeping the baby. It had not been the prettiest exchange between lovers, but she had envisioned it going much worse. So, she chalked it up as a good outcome and felt rather positive about that. She doubted that the next item on her list was going to go over so well. She had to tell her mother.

Isabel did not have enough imagination to even consider how telling her mother about her pregnancy would go, aside for thinking about a nuclear holocaust. It would probably be worse than that, though. Her mother was not the easiest woman to speak with much of the time, in her opinion anyway.

The pregnant woman did make it a point to tell Ellie when she was going to the house and that she left her friend a letter of instructions on her nightstand if she was never heard from again. The news had been noted and taken quite seriously by her smaller friend. She wanted to take Ellie as a witness, but the little coward claimed that she was studying that night.

“Studying my ass,” Isabel grumbled to herself with a slight frown marring her pale features. Ellie was simply frightened to death of Isabel’s mother, especially if perceived bad news was going to be coming the older woman’s way.

It was not like Isabel could blame her friend for being afraid. After all, she was certain that her mother had eaten her father, bones and all. Ellie was inclined to agree with that. Neither of them could accurately recall the last time that they had seen the man, after all. They just knew that one day he was there and then the next day her mother looked a little fatter than usual. Now, it could have been because her mother was pregnant with Katherine at the time or it could have been because she had just finished having a hundred and sixty pound man for breakfast. The latter was much more likely to them.

Isabel flopped down on her sofa and tried to think of the best way to approach her mother with her news. The direct approach might be the best way, come right out and say it bluntly. Her mother might be so shocked that she was struck dumb and stiff long enough for Isabel to have a decent head start. After all, she might have to run for her life as soon as her mother regained her wits.

Well, there was always the chance that her mother wanted to be a grandmother, Isabel considered. It was not like her mother was opposed to the idea of children. It was just that her being a grandmother had never come up in a conversation. It seemed that their mother thought that Katherine was too young to get pregnant and, well, she liked to think that Isabel was still single despite the fact that she knew Isabel was dating Jason. It was just that her mother hated Jason and that was putting it mildly.

“This probably wouldn’t be nearly as bad if you weren’t Jason’s baby,” Isabel commented quite seriously while rubbing her stomach. “And if you weren’t making me hungry,” she added in jest as she realized that she could use a bite to eat.

The raven-haired fighter got up to make herself a sandwich. While she did that, she tried to think of other tactics to where she could tell her mother about the baby and not end up in a shallow grave or at the bottom of a lake. She supposed that many people would think that she was being silly. She was a grown woman, after all. She did not even live with her mother, so people would probably tell her that she had nothing to worry about. Well, to hell with those people! They did not know her mother, after all.

She could only hope that her mother was ready and glad to be a grandmother. Maybe her mother would overlook the fact that the baby was Jason’s and just be happy to have a grandchild. It would be nice. It would make her life a whole lot easier, after all.

“Who am I kidding? She’ll hit the ceiling and then she might hit me,” Isabel muttered with a sigh while trying to shake away memories of feeling her mother’s wrath.

Even her mother did want to be a grandmother at some point in time, the fact that the baby was Jason’s was not going to be overlooked; Isabel was very certain of that. Her mother had pretty much told Jason where he could go from the day that they met and flatly told Isabel that the man was not welcomed in their home. Now, she liked to think that was her mother’s reaction to any guys that she and her sister brought home and it sort of was. Her mother hated whoever Katherine dated and brought home. Thankfully, Isabel and Katherine rarely brought guys home. However, no boyfriend had ever been banished from the house like Jason had been.

“Jason always has to go above it and beyond,” Isabel commented with a chuckle.

With her sandwich complete, Isabel grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and returned to the comfort of her sofa. For a brief second, she dared to consider not telling her mother about her pregnancy. She would just wait for the older woman to guess…and then have her mother blow up on her for not saying something sooner. Her mother might not kill her then, but she would certainly hurt her enough to where she would be in the hospital long before and long after the baby was born. Yeah, so waiting was a very bad idea.

“I wish I could say she won’t kill me over this, but this is Jason’s baby, after all,” Isabel said with another sigh.

She figured that being pregnant would probably save her life if her mother was upset with things, but not when Jason was involved. Her mother might actually look at it as an act of mercy, like she was putting Isabel out of her misery, if she did slaughter the teenager. After all, her mother would more than likely reason, who would want to be the mother of that jackass’ child? Who would want to have Jason as a father anyway?

Isabel sighed, sounding as if she was tired. “This is probably going to be the worst day of my life, hands down.” She put her hand on her stomach. “But, don’t worry, little one. We’ll both be fine,” she promised.

-*-(New day)-*-

Isabel arrived at her mother’s home alone. Jason had volunteered to go with her, but she could not let him do that. There was a chance that she could make it out of the house alive and intact alone. If Jason had come, her mother would undoubtedly murder the both of them and bury them in the backyard. It was not like the neighbors would dare tell the police about what happened.

The house was a modest-sized home. There was a little lawn in the front of the white house with a small porch that Isabel was currently standing on. She remembered when she was little, she used to keep her bike on the porch, along with Ellie’s bike. Her mother used to scream at them about it because they always left the bicycles where she might fall over them.

There were four bedrooms in the house, but one of them had been turned into a study. The basement was a gym for them. It had mats, weight training equipment, a punching bag, a heavy bag that was covered in duct tape, and a couple of exercise machines.

There was only one bathroom, which was quite a thing when there had been three women living in the house and the frequent guest Ellie. There had been many fights not too long ago over the bathroom and modesty had been abandoned there due to the fact that it was common for someone to kick the door in if she believed that the occupant was taking too long. There had been times where there was no door covering the bathroom because of violent outbursts.

Isabel rang the door bell, which played a funeral dirge. It was a joke that she and Kat had put together some years ago and their mother never got around to changing the tune. It was great to watch strangers’ expressions twist when they rang the bell and heard what was playing.

“What?” Kat screamed from behind the door, sounding as if she was outraged.

“Open the damn door!” Isabel barked out the order.

Isabel could hear Kat complaining and mocking her from inside the house. She rolled her emerald eyes while Kat came to unlock the door. The blonde practically yanked the door out of the wall because of her annoyance.

“You have keys!” Kat pointed out in an irked tone as she caught sight of her big sister. Her blue eyes flashed with fury and her mouth was turned in a scowl thanks to her elder sibling.

“Yes, but it’s so much more fun to get you off of the sofa when your show is on to get you to answer the door,” Isabel replied with a smile.

Kat only looked quite sour and then rushed back to the couch to watch her favorite television show. Isabel shut the door as she stepped into the house. She slipped out of her shoes, leaving them by the door; there was a tiled off bit of floor for people to leave their footwear. She took off her coat and hung it up in the front closet. She looked over at her sister, who was curled up on the white couch in the living room and into the flat screen television that was on the wall.

The living room was decorated in pastel colors. The furniture was white while the carpet and walls were a very light blue, more like white with a blue undertone than anything else. There were a couple of pictures on the walls of Kat and Isabel from when they were younger, but nothing recent of them. Their mother often told them that she did not put pictures up of them now because they were not “cute” anymore. Kat swore to the heavens that she was “the very definition of cute.”

Isabel walked right through the living room and through the dining room. She could tell from the aroma hanging in the air that her mother was in the kitchen, which she was. Her mother was on the phone and making dinner. Isabel just stared at the barely middle-aged woman, who was speaking surprisingly civil into the phone.

Her mother was Isabella Katherine Marie Han; as was Isabel. It was a tradition in their family. They had lost track of the numbers at some point in time a century ago when their family came to the United States. The number was not really important since there were quite a few “Isabellas,” “Katherines,” and “Maries” in their family. There was the rather creepy habit of naming girls after their mothers, who were almost always named after monarchs of the past. Their family was quite matriarchal, so passing on the names of mothers to daughters just showed favor to their girls.

Isabel heavily favored the woman whose name she bore as far as features went. Her mother was tall and muscular. She had the same flowing, waist length ebony hair. Her eyes were sharp, like Isabel’s, but they were blue, like Kat’s. She was pale, which was where Isabel got the milky tone. Most people felt that Isabel had also inherited her mother’s personality, which greatly disturbed Isabel since she heard tales that her mother had inherited her grandmother’s personality. Like hell she wanted to grow old and end up like that bitter old bat! Definitely not, she often thought.

“Mommy,” Isabel said and was greeted with a raised hand, which told her to be quiet while her mother was on the phone.

Isabel nodded, understanding that gesture and not daring to challenge it. She just wanted to call some attention to herself, which her mother understood. Isabella then turned her back to her daughter and finished up with her phone call. She then put the phone down on the granite kitchen counter.

“Hey, Izzie,” Isabella greeted her eldest child in a rather neutral tone. She might as well have been speaking to some stranger on the street from the way her voice sounded.

“Hey, Mommy,” Isabel said again while cringing at the sound of that nickname. How she hated that name!

“Go wash up,” Isabella commanded, motioning toward the bathroom with a fluid, elegant flick of her hand.

“But, I’m not here—” the nineteen-year-old tried to object and explain that her visit had nothing to do with eating.

Isabella was not looking to hear anything from her daughter and just held up her hand again. She then pointed in the direction of the bathroom. Isabel frowned, but she obeyed the silent directions, going to the bathroom and washing her hands for dinner. She then flopped down on the sofa next to Kat, who glanced at her big sister.

“She’s making you stay for dinner, huh?” Kat inquired blandly, even though she knew the answer to that one.

“I really don’t think that woman hears real words when I talk,” Isabel replied with a sigh, shaking her head from side to side for a few seconds.

“Nah, it’s more like ‘wah-wah-wah’ I’m guessing,” the blonde remarked with a bit of a laugh while making a hand gesture like her hand was talking.

Isabel chuckled a bit too. “I don’t think it’s even that much.”

Kat smiled, knowing her sister was right, but that was how their mother was. She believed that it was how Isabel was too. Their word was law and there was no reason to argue as far as they were concerned. Maybe that came along with being named “Isabella,” the blonde considered.

“So, what’re you here for anyway, if not food?” Kat asked curiously, an eyebrow arched and her head tilted a bit to the side.

“I just need to talk to her…and you too, I guess,” Isabel answered as if her situation was nothing really. It had not occurred to her to tell her little sister about the pregnancy, possibly because Kat could not kill her, even if she did not approve of her condition.

“Me too? I’m an addition? It’s like you didn’t even realize it until you sat next to me!” Kat whined, being purposely annoying. She made her hands into fists and flailed her arms a bit, hoping to get to her big sister.

Isabel was not moved; her face was deadpan and her body was still while her sister acted ridiculous in her opinion. She scoffed and rolled her eyes while turning her attention away from Kat, which only bothered the younger teen more. Her big sister was supposed to pay her all the mind she wanted whenever she wanted it…in her opinion anyway. She fell onto Isabel, lying in the emerald-eyed fighter’s lap.

“How could you just forget about me? I bet you told Jason all about it!” Kat whined, still flailing around.

Isabel almost looked panicked and she hissed, as a sign that her sister needed to shut up. Kat grinned like quite the little devil, knowing what Isabel’s problem was. They were not supposed to remind their mother that Jason was even alive, let alone still in Isabel’s life.

“Don’t you dare,” Isabel ordered her little sister when she saw that demonic glint in those sapphire eyes.

“You told Jason before you told us!” Kat screamed at the top of her lungs. People down the street probably heard her.

Isabel’s eyes lit up as she could hear footsteps headed their way. She started grappling with Kat and put her hand over the blonde troublemaker’s mouth. Isabella came to the living room entrance to see a sight that did not bother her at all; her daughters were wrestling with each other. She was used to the sight and did not care, even if the girls were serious. She went back to her pots while hoping that Kat showed some initiative and did not let Isabel make her go unconscious again.

Isabel got her sister into a rather painful hold. She pressed Kat into the sofa cushions, leaning on the younger girl’s back with her knee. She had a hold of Kat’s right arm and Kat wisely stopped struggling, knowing that she was in a vulnerable position that could cost her the use of her arm.

“Now, shut the hell up,” Isabel ordered in a very harsh tone, growling at the end of the statement.

Kat was quiet for a moment and then she started laughing. Isabel looked confused for just a moment and then she realized why her little sister was laughing. She applied a bit more pressure to stop Kat, who hissed in agony.

“Don’t do it or I swear I’ll break it,” Isabel promised. It was a bluff that never worked in the past for the simple way that Kat countered.

Kat took a deep breath. “MOMMY!” she hollered as loudly as possible.

“No, no, no,” Isabel begged and she tried to remove herself from the scene before Isabella got back to the living room.

“Kat, what’re you screaming for?” Isabella inquired in an impatient tone as she stood at the living room entrance. She did not look pleased with having to travel there a second time. Her stance was defensive and her arms were folded across her chest.

Isabel was now on the other side of the living room while Kat was still on the sofa. The blonde was sitting up and rubbing her sore shoulder; her hair was amiss and she was breathing a bit hard. The younger girl made sure to look very pitiful as she started explaining herself.

“Mommy, Izzie was going to break my arm!” Kat reported, pouting like a kicked puppy and looking almost on the verge of tears.

“Izzie,” Isabella said in a disappointed tone, which was enough to make Isabel shrink in the corner. Years of training from Isabella got her decent reactions from her children from the smallest things.

“But, Mommy—” Isabel tried her best to justify her actions, but she did not even get the chance. She should have expected it, but her nature demanded that she try to make her mother see that she was not in the wrong.

“No, don’t bully your little sister,” the mother ordered in a calm, firm voice, which was accompanied by a small sweeping gesture from her hand.

Isabel sighed and looked down at her bare feet, curling her toes up a bit for no reason. “Yes, Mommy.”

Satisfied that the conflict was resolved, Isabella left her daughters alone once again. As soon as Isabella was gone, Kat started laughing. Isabel curled her lip in disgust as she went back to the sofa to sit down.

“Getting you in trouble never gets old,” Kat commented with a smile, pointing at her elder sister and shaking her finger a bit while doing it.

“Shut up,” Isabel grumbled and she punched her little sister in the shoulder.

“Ow!” Kat complained while putting her hand on her injured body part. “That’s sore already!”

“I know it is. It would be broken if you didn’t call for Mommy,” Isabel pointed out in a huff. Breaking bones seemed to be crossing the line with their mother when it came to roughhousing.

Kat only stuck her tongue out at her big sister. Hey, she was not above being a brat, which could be said of Isabel too. The pair settled down on the couch and Kat went back to watching her favorite program. Isabel did not pay the show much mind; she never liked teen drama shows.

“All right, you two,” Isabella called from the other room.

The duo was well aware that the beckon was the chow-bell of the house. They got up from the couch and marched into the kitchen where the food was displayed on the stove. They had to make their own plates. The three ladies did sit down to dinner together. Isabel could not help wondering if she should hit them with the news now or wait to avoid spoiling the meal. She did not get the chance to make up her mind on that one.

“So, Izzie, you’ve been working a lot lately?” Isabella inquired, turning her attention to her eldest while starting in on her meal. They were having mashed potatoes, green beans, pepper steak, and biscuits.

“No, actually. The last fight I had was the one that this one missed out on,” Isabel answered while motioning to her little sister, who pouted as she was reminded that she missed out on a cage fight and a lot of money.

“Why not? You need all the practice you can get,” Isabella commented. Her voice was the same, so it was hard to tell if she was teasing or not.

“I bet I could take you down,” Isabel said in a quite the daring tone with an expression to match. There was a challenging glint in her emerald eyes.

Isabella laughed. “I don’t know, you made it so easy the last time you fought me,” she countered.

“I was young and foolish!” Isabel argued heatedly, the corners of her mouth turned downward as she spoke.

“Sweetheart, it was last year,” Isabella pointed out with a smile on her face. Only she could make the term of endearment of “sweetheart” sound like saying “you.”

“I was a different person then. I bet I could take you down right now,” the nineteen-year-old declared quite confidently. She tilted her chin up in a haughty manner, trying to goat her mother into a fight apparently.

“If you don’t think I won’t take your narrow ass outside right now and make you cut the grass with your teeth, you’re mistaken,” Isabella remarked, looking serious about the matter now.

Isabel was so ready to take that challenge, just to show her mother up, but she was actually in no condition to fight Isabella. She supposed that the best thing to do would be to drop the conversation since she could not back up her words, but that would just be seen as a sign of giving up. She would never give her mother the satisfaction of beating her…well, at least not without proper fight anyway. The term “proper” varied from case to case with her mother.

“I’d do that with you, but your dentures would probably fall out,” Isabel countered her mother.

“Yeah, keep talking shit and you’ll have to invest in some dentures after I knock your teeth right out of your damn skull,” Isabella said. She could go back and forth with her eldest all day if necessary, as they had done several times in the past. She preferred it when Isabel tried to back up her words, though.

“You couldn’t put a hand on my damn skull, old lady,” Isabel boasted, arrogant smirk in place now.

Isabella scoffed a bit while Kat laughed. The family then focused on their dinner, eating quietly and contently. Isabel did breath a sigh of relief to herself because her mother had not decided to actually call her out. Sometimes with them it was all talk and other times it was semi-serious. It was semi-serious because they would go fight, but they were not looking to harm each other. Whenever something was serious in the house, it meant someone would be going to the hospital by the end of things.

“Izzie, you know I’m going to have to send you up to school to kick your sister’s ass,” Isabella commented out of the blue.

“What? Why me?” Kat whined dramatically, looking up from her plate to show them her wide blue eyes.

“You cutting class again?” Isabel inquired, turning to look at her sister despite the disturbing expression the girl was wearing.

“Only once,” Kat answered.

“A week,” Isabella added in.

“They can’t prove that!” Kat argued with a grin.

“Uh…I think they can. They do this thing called ‘roll call’ and when you don’t answer, they tend jot it down,” Isabella remarked with a smile of her own.

“They just don’t see me, Mommy,” the blonde daughter lied, still grinning up a storm. It was like she was proud that she cut so often and that she was so blatant about it.

Isabella waved Kat off, knowing that she was just encouraging such poor attendance from Kat. No matter what, Kat was still going to school more often than Isabel had. The blonde seemed to know as long as she did better than Isabel as far as school was concerned, no one was going to complain.

“So, Izzie, what brings you by?” the mother asked curiously.

Isabel froze for a second and looked down at her plate, which still had half of her meal on it. Isabella frowned because of her daughter’s reaction. Kat was curious now, wondering what Isabel had to say. Everyone’s food was suddenly secondary to whatever was going to come out of Isabel’s mouth.

“Funny you should ask that,” Isabel said with a nervous laugh, eyes still glued to her plate.

“Well then, make us laugh,” Isabella commented with her brows furrowed to show her interest. “And try looking at us while doing it.”

“Well, it’s not really funny like that,” Isabel grumbled, eyes still down.

“Spill it, sister!” Kat urged with a grin as she jabbed Isabel with the blunt end of her fork.

Isabel took a deep breath and looked up. Isabella leaned back in her chair while waiting to hear what her eldest had to say. Kat was leaning forward, her elbows on the table, looking quite eager to hear what Isabel had to say.

“I’m pregnant,” Isabel announced in her usual calm tone of voice.

It was probably the fact that Isabel said such news so casually that kept her mother and sister from responding for the better part of ten seconds. Kat’s face then fell; if it was possible, her jaw would have been in her steak right now. Isabella, to her credit, kept her typical neutral expression while regarding her eldest daughter.

“You’re having Jason’s baby!” Kat screamed in terror while pointing an accusing finger at her older sister. She looked at if her big sister might have turned into a giant green blob right in front of her, which probably would have been more appealing to her than Isabel having Jason’s offspring.

“Yes, Jason is the father,” the emerald-eyed teenager replied.

“Oh, great! Now, twist the knife counterclockwise!” Kat cried, purposely being melodramatic, but genuinely upset with situation. She lightly rapped at the table with her fist; her anger not getting the better of her senses, so she dared not hit the table too hard.

“Kat, calm down,” Isabella ordered. She was not in the mood for the youngest antics right now. Things were serious after all.

“But, Mommy!” Kat whined loudly while throwing her hands out in her big sister’s direction, blaming Isabel for her current overly excited state.

“Calm down. It’s all right. After all, your sister’s not going to have this baby,” Isabella stated as if she knew that to be a fact.

“She’s not?” Kat asked with hope, thinking that her mother knew something that she did not.

“No, she’s not,” Isabella said as if her word could not be changed, her face matched her tone.

“Actually, Mommy, I am having this baby,” Isabel stated soundly.

“NO!” Kat howled, hitting the table again, a little harder that time. It was not that she was against being an aunt, far from that. No, she just had something against Jason. He was going to be in her big sister’s life forever now!

“Kat, go your room,” Isabella commanded, her voice having an edge to it, showing that her patience was gone already.

Kat was too distraught to argue. In fact, she was happy for a reason to get out of the dining room. She pushed away from the table and trotted upstairs to her bedroom. The remaining daughter and mother eyed each other, almost mirroring each other. Neither looked pleased or ready to give.

“Isabella, you’re getting an abortion,” the mother stated plainly.

Isabel frowned, hating when her mother called her “Isabella” as much as she hated being called “Izzie.” When she was called by her whole name, it let Isabel know that her mother was being completely serious. There was not going to be any playful banter between them, but an actual argument.

“I’m not getting a fucking abortion!” Isabel declared, head turned up and chin held high.

“Yes, you are! You’re not having that fucking jackass’ baby!” the elder female countered. She was showing signs of human emotions, scowling at her daughter as if she was some foul, disgusting creature.

“Yes, I am,” Isabel insisted, looking her mother right in the eye as she spoke.

“You’re going to fucking ruin yourself like this? Before you even get fucking started, you’re going throw your fucking life away? I won’t let you!” Isabella pounded the table with her fist, causing the plates to chatter as the wood rocked. She was obviously in some control of herself because she did not destroy the table with such a hit.

Isabel did not so much as flinch from the display. Her face and body were stone right now. “Oh, is that what happened when you got pregnant with me? I ruined your life?” the teen demanded to know in a calm tone.

“Of course not! But, your father wasn’t some hardheaded fucktard!” the elder woman pointed out, pointing a slender, manicured, and dangerous index finger at her daughter.

“Then why the hell aren’t you still with him?” Isabel inquired, having the nerve to look smug, like she caught her mother in a trap.

Isabella’s face twitched in annoyance. Evidently, she was not enjoying the argument now that the subject of her girls’ father was being brought into the matter. She leaned forward, a frown marring her elegant features. She took a moment to regain her composer, reminding herself just who it was she was speaking with. She rested an elbow on the table and then held her chin on her first two fingers and thumb.

“What happened between me and your father is quite irrelevant. The point is you’re not having this baby. You’re getting an abortion and I’m paying for it,” Isabella said soundly.

The nineteen-year old remained the same, replying in the same calm manner. “No, Mommy. I’m having this baby.”

Isabella’s jaw clenched. “Does he know about it?”

“Yes. I told him the other day.”

“And he…?” Isabella would be shocked to know that he had agreed with the plan to keep the baby.

“I’m having this baby,” Isabel said again. It did not matter what Jason said, even though he was going along with it now. She was having her baby. “Mommy, I’m having this baby. No matter what you say. I’m having this baby and I’m keeping it.”

Isabella’s expression did not change. She changed the position of her hand, putting her hand to her face and she rested her chin in her palm. She caressed her cheek with a long index finger while taking in the determined look in her daughter’s face.

“You’ll have to get a new apartment. You’re going to need a baby room, after all,” Isabella commented.

The teenager nodded a bit, making sure to keep her calm demeanor. “I know. I’m going to start looking for new places.”

“All right. You’re not…marrying him, are you?” Isabella inquired with a worried look on her face.

Isabel made a disgusted face. “Ew! No, Mommy!”

Isabella sighed in relief. “Okay, fine.”

“Mommy, do you really think this is going to ruin my life?” Isabel asked curiously. She had plans in life, after all. The reason that she believed that she could have the baby and still do what she wanted in life was thanks to her mother.

“It’ll be fine,” Isabella replied rather dismissively, as if her daughter asked the silliest thing that she had ever heard.

Isabel accepted such a simple answer, which her mother expected. Underlying message was that Isabel would be fine because her mother and sister were there. There was only one thing left to find out.

“Are you…disappointed in me?” Isabel asked her mother.

Isabella waved the question off with a flick of her hand. Isabella believed that the key to keeping Isabel on her toes to never let her know where she stood. She missed up a little by smiling; she was looking forward to having a little grandbaby.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: apartment hunting and all sorts of little baby things. It’ll be hard to believe how these women act now that there’s a baby on the way.


	6. Nobody expects…

Chapter 6: Nobody expects…

Pregnancy seemed to agree with Isabel, even early on. Many people swore that she had a glow about her and they seemed to guess her condition right off the bat, even though she was not showing yet. She loved it when people guessed that she was pregnant because it gave her an excuse to talk about her condition, which she utterly adored. Her face tended to light up as she spoke, a smile never left her face as she talked about how she was going to have a baby.

It was not just Isabel that was happy with her pregnancy. Most people would have probably found it weird to see who else was almost giddy over Isabel’s condition. It might have been taken as a sign of the Apocalypse to see her mother, sister, and best friend acting so joyful over the baby.

“Izzie, I think this place is fantastic,” Isabella commented as she, Isabel, and Kat walked around an apartment. They were out hunting for a new place for Isabel to live now that she was going to have someone else in her life.

“Oh, this view is killer!” Kat practically howled from her spot on the balcony. She grinned as she looked out and was already have visions of what she was going to do there. “Iz, you are so moving in here so I can throw parties out here!”

“I don’t think you’ll be moving in here,” Isabella stated in her usual tone, speaking to her eldest as they watched Kat jump up and down like an immature child on balcony.

“Not unless I want to be kicked out a month in if Kat’s behavior is any indication of things,” Isabel replied dryly.

“You’ll be lucky if you make it through a month,” Isabella muttered as she watched her youngest daughter just going buck wild on the terrace.

Kat was in love with the apartment, especially the balcony that she was currently standing on; the place actually had two. It was a part of a three-apartment system where the first floor was like a duplex with a basement level, then there was a middle apartment, and then there was the third floor, which was where they were. The third floor apartment had what Kat dubbed “the penthouse.” The bedrooms, two of them, were on the lower part of the apartment and then there was the kitchen and an entertainment space above the bedrooms.

The master bedroom had a small balcony outside of it. It seemed like a cozy little spot where maybe two people would get together and relax together. The other balcony, which was on the upper floor was huge. It was almost the same size as the inside upper level. Kat was already envisioning huge parties on the balcony. She was also doing a handstand on the railing.

“It’ll be our luck that she’s gained weight,” Isabel remarked when she saw what her little sister was doing.

“It’ll be her own fault if she falls to her death,” Isabella commented in quite the disinterested tone as she turned around to give the apartment another look over. She sighed as her sapphire eyes scanned the area. “This is the best one we’ve seen today,” she grumbled, unhappy with that fact it would seem.

To the elder woman, the apartment seemed rather small. It was a nice place, but she thought that a child would need more space. She thought that her daughter would need more space too.

“It’s good for me and the baby,” Isabel argued, looking around. It was also far away from her mother’s house to where Isabella would have to call before coming over, thus giving her time to get her mind together for when her mother showed up. And she knew that her mother was going to show up.

“There’s no yard,” Isabella complained with a frown.

One of the things that Isabella detested about apartments altogether was the lack of yard space. She was actually a country gal and liked open spaces, especially when children were involved. She noticed through out the apartment hunting that Isabel did not share her sentiments.

“There’s a huge, beautiful park right outside,” Isabel pointed out while motioning out of the apartment. The park was what made her view so nice.

Isabella did not turn to look, mostly because she knew the park was out there; it was hard to miss. She also did not want to see what new antic Kat was cooking up on the balcony. She was right not to look because Kat was hollering at a passing troop of teenage boys, trying to invite them up.

“A park isn’t a yard,” Isabella argued blandly while folding her across her chest, wrinkling her once perfectly pressed white shirt.

“A park is as good as a yard,” Isabel countered with a slight shrug.

They were going to get into an argument, they both knew that. It had been happening since Isabella and Kat decided to help her hunt for a new place. They did not even pay attention to the people showcasing the apartments and scared many of those people off when they got into serious debates over the place. The funny thing was that neither of them really liked arguing, but it was just a problem that came with being two strong-willed women that liked to always think they were right.

“A park isn’t safe for a child after dark. It doesn’t have the same feel as a yard either,” Isabella stated sounding, making a sharp head movement as she spoke. It was almost like the move to cut her daughter in half, like they were having an imaginative battle while verbally going back and forth.

“Who gives a fuck about the feel?” Isabel countered with a rather perplexed expression on her face. She made a short, but blunt cutting motion with her hand, as if that negated her mother’s head movement.

“I do and the fucking baby will too!” the older woman roared, a fire igniting in her eyes from being challenged.

Isabel snarled. “The baby’s not going to know what the hell a yard is for the first few years of its life!”

“That doesn’t mean anything! You owe this baby a yard after sticking it with a shitty father!”

Isabel was caught silent for a moment too long, but decided to press forward. Unfortunately, she did not have the same fire that she started out with. “One has nothing to do with the other,” she said through gritted teeth.

“It has everything to do with the other. This place is also too far. I don’t like that,” Isabella commented in a haughty tone since she just won the little argument as far as she was concerned.

“Far from what?” the teenager inquired with a puzzled face.

Isabella answered as if it was obvious. “Me.”

“My current apartment is twice as far as this one,” Isabel pointed out, even though she knew that information was not relevant.

Isabel was aware that her mother did not care how far away she was. Isabella actually liked that Isabel had move such a great distance from her; she liked the independence that her eldest showed in that maneuver. But, now was a whole new matter.

“I want to be close to my grandchild,” Isabella informed her daughter, even though Isabel knew that already.

“So?’ Isabel replied as if she did not care.

“So, you should move closer. There are several apartments close to the house. It’ll give the baby a yard to play in too if you’re close,” Isabella pointed out.

“Mommy, I don’t want to live next to you,” Isabella answered honestly. Her voice almost made it seem like nothing, but most people would find her statement, tone, and overall demeanor disrespectful.

“Like I give a damn about what you want,” the older woman replied just as bluntly. She then turned her attention to her other daughter. “Kat, get the hell of that banister. We’re leaving,” she announced.

Isabel groaned while Kat obeyed their mother’s commands. The sisters followed their mother out of the place, both making a note to come back later without Isabella. They liked the apartment quite a bit, but they were going to humor their mother and go look at other locations. Isabel knew for a fact that she was not going to move into any of the spaces her mother liked. The last thing she needed was for her mother to be able to pop up whenever the urge overcame her.

-*-New day)-*-

“Mommy is gonna be so pissed!” Kat grinned as she carried a large box into her big sister’s new apartment.

“Oh, you mean you two are involving me in a crime?” Ellie inquired suspiciously as she came in right behind Kat with an equally big box.

“It’s only a crime if she finds out,” Isabel replied like that made any sense. She came in with two boxes, one stacked on top of the other.

“I think she’s going to find out when she wants to check on her grandbaby,” Ellie pointed out the obvious. She frowned, not believing that the sisters were getting her into some trouble yet again, but then again, that was about all they did.

“It’ll be too late by then,” Isabel said in flippant tone. What was done was done and her mother could not do anything about it.

Ellie could not argue that one, but she highly doubted that it was going to be pleasant when Isabella found out that Isabel had once again put one over on her. She hoped that she was not around when they happened. Even if she was around, she was going to figure out a way to get far, far away from that disaster when it stuck.

“Hey, what about your jackass? Does he know you moved here?” the youngest teen inquired, speaking to her sister, while putting down the box that she had next to other cardboard containers. They were moving things into the master bedroom at the moment.

“Nope,” Isabel answered as if that was nothing as she put her boxes down too.

“Wait, you moved without telling your boyfriend?” Ellie inquired with a look of disbelief mixed with an incredulous expression. Isabel was just about the worst girlfriend she had ever heard of if that was the case.

“I mentioned it to him and he started going on about us moving in together,” Isabel informed her friend. There was a look of near horror in her emerald eyes from just thinking about living with Jason.

“To hell with that!” Kat declared quite seriously. The last thing she wanted was to go visit her sister and have to deal with that dick Jason.

“Exactly,” the elder sister replied bluntly. She could not imagine herself living with Jason at the moment. She might end up hurting him, if they were lucky. If push came to shove, she might actually end up killing him. She supposed that she was going to have to work passed that since he was the father of her baby. It was just going to take sometime and a lot of work mentally.

“Then when’re you going to tell him you moved?” Ellie inquired with a baffled expression on her face. Her brown eyes were laced with confusion and she had a chocolate eyebrow in the air. It seemed that she really could not comprehend her best friend.

“It’ll come up,” Isabel replied in a dismissive tone, making a hand gesture as if to wave the matter off. Well, she was pretty sure that it would come up at some point.

“Okay, we’re done. Let’s have a party!” Kat cheered while throwing her hands in the air and waving them around like the madwoman her sister and friend believed her to be.

“No party!” Isabel hollered, but Kat was on her phone already. “Ellie, get her!”

“I’m on it!” the shorter female replied and she tried to pounce on Kat, who lived her up to her name and gracefully slipped out of the way. Isabel decided to make a move, figuring a tackle could not be much of a risk to her little one. Kat laughed and stuck her tongue out at her big sister when she avoided Isabel.

“Party!” Kat cackled at the top of her lungs.

-*-(New day)-*-

“Hey, Isabel,” Jason greeted his girlfriend as she showed up for one of her usual visits. He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips, which she returned.

“Hey, dearest,” she replied in a slightly warm tone as she pulled away.

“I was wondering when you’d come by,” Jason said as he took her coat from her shoulders. He hung up the garment and then turned his attention back to her.

Isabel did not say anything. She was going to point out that he could make some effort to come see her now since she was carrying his baby, but she did not want to put that idea in the air. After all, he might take that as an invitation to show up at her home whenever he felt like it, not that he could do that since he had no clue where she lived now.

“You look good,” Jason commented with a smile as he gave his girl the once-over.

Isabel rolled her eyes. He had taken to telling her that when he saw her. She was not sure if he was just trying to get used to it for when she did get fat and hormonal, but it was getting annoying. She took a deep breath to calm herself down, easing her rapidly growing annoyance away. She also reminded herself that she wanted to see Jason, which was why she was there.

“So, sweetheart, how’ve you been?” Isabel inquired while taking a seat on his bed. She almost sounded like she truly cared. He smiled because of her interest in him.

“I’ve been great. Getting my schoolwork out of the way with the break coming up and everything. The team’s doing great. Who knows, we might actually win this year. What about you?” he countered as he went to sit next to her. Their legs touched, leaving him to feel the material of her pants on the part lower parts of his legs since he was wearing shorts.

Isabel smiled; a small, almost coy expression. She was tempted to go on and on about the baby and how she could not wait for the child to show up, but she decided to ease into that conversation. She did not want to overwhelm Jason with her mood.

“I’ve been good. I’ve got a doctor’s appointment tomorrow,” she answered, looking down a bit to hide the joy sparkling in her jade eyes. Unbeknownst to Jason, but Isabel was giving him an opening. She waited a few seconds and decided to continue when Jason did not fill the silent void with the desire response. “I guess I’ll get Ellie or Kat to go with me,” she added since he did not think to volunteer to tag along.

“That’s good,” he replied with a nod.

Isabel frowned slightly and picked her head back up. “I’m sure it is.”

“If you find out we’re having a boy, call me,” he requested, smiling from the thought of having a son.

Isabel’s frowned deepened and her body tensed ever-so slightly. She could not help wondering at the moment why she loved such a jackass. She knew that she was not feeling much love for him now. She was glad that she had chosen not to live with him now.

“What if I find out we’re having a girl?” Isabel inquired through gritted teeth and a tightly clenched jaw.

“Oh, right. Well, just call me,” Jason replied in a dismissive tone.

Isabel had to fight the urge to punch her beloved in the mouth right now. How could he sit there and make it seem like the baby was not important if it was a girl? She actually did not care one way or the other, but the fact that he was making it seem like a boy was better than a girl was just pissing her off. For once, she actually did not want to talk about her baby.

“You’re going home for your break?” Isabel asked as if she was curious, even though she knew the answer to that. He always went home for break, which was when they saw each other less frequently. She was not looking to deal with him and his parents. That mixture was a surefire way to end up in jail.

“Yup. I’ll probably be helping my dad out around his office and everything. We’ll be able to go out on some good dates since I won’t have schoolwork to worry about,” he answered as if he was proud and his statement was supposed to put a smile on her face. It did not work.

“Yeah,” she said in a skeptical tone. She would believe that one when she saw it. She was going to ask him if he told his parents about the baby yet, but she really did not care if they knew or not. It would probably just bring more trouble in her life than she wanted anyway.

The couple continued on talking to each other, but the topic of the baby never came back up. The topic Isabel moving did not come up either, which would explain why she never told Jason that she lived some place new. He did offer to take her home, which was where he got the news.

“Isabel, what’re these directions?” he inquired in a puzzled tone as she started telling him to take new turns and things.

“Just listen to me,” Isabel replied while flicking her hand in his direction, brushing him off. She fought the urge to roll her eyes at him.

“I’m taking you home, right?” he asked just to be sure. He considered that she might be going to a friend’s house or something of that nature.

“Of course you’re taking me home,” she answered with some attitude. It was not like she used him as a ride to anywhere else. She did not want to put up with his questions, which was one of the reasons why she never requested that he take her anywhere aside for home. She would have to deal with the Inquisition if he drove her anywhere else, she believed, and then she would end up hurting his feelings or worse.

“Wait, did you move?” he demanded to know, turning to look at her. Fury ignited in his deep blue eyes as the thought of her moving without saying anything to him popped up in his mind.

“Yes.” She sounded as if it was no deal, flicking her hand to make it seem even less important.

Jason’s face twisted in anger. “When did you move?” he asked in a forceful tone.

She sighed, as if she was wary of the conversation already. “A few days ago.”

“And you’re just telling me now!” he practically roared because of his anger. How could she just up and move and not tell him? He was her boyfriend for crying out loud and she was carrying his baby! She should be keeping him in the loop as far as every move that she made in life now in his opinion.

“Apparently so,” she commented in a dry tone with a deadpan expression, her way of showing that she did not appreciate his tone.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” he bellowed, a vein bulging from his neck because of his fury with her.

Isabel arched an eyebrow while glancing at him. “Stop the car, Jason,” she said calmly.

“I’m not letting you out,” he informed her because he knew that she was going to just get out and walk home. He was not ready to end the conversation yet, not until he found out just what the hell was wrong with her.

“Yes, you are. I don’t want to fight with you over some bullshit,” she countered in her own forceful voice. She hated seriously arguing and she was not changing that just because he wanted to have a little verbal brawl with her.

“This is your problem. You don’t take things seriously. You can’t just up and move and not tell me,” he stated soundly, trying to glare at her while making sure to keep his eyes on the road.

“Why can’t I? You’re not my father. I’ll do what I please,” she declared, sounding almost condescending about her independence. She tilted her head slightly, holding her chin up in defiance.

“You’re carrying my baby, so you better start filling me in on things!” he roared while griping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles started turning white.

“Oh, now all of a sudden you give a damn about the baby?” Isabel rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth. She looked at the ceiling of the car while holding her hands up just to mock him. How dare he bring up the baby as if it was some kind of link that chained her to him! A few hours ago, he did not even get the hint to come with her to her doctor’s appointment about the child and now he was acting like he cared.

“Yeah, it is my son!” he pointed out with a scowl marring his strong features.

“Newsflash, baby boy, it could be a girl too,” she informed him with smug look on her face.

He seemed shocked by that, eyes going slightly wide as soon as the words left her mouth. She was enjoying bursting his little bubble about having a son. She actually smiled because of his look of horror.

“In fact, I hope it’s a girl. You hear that, little one? Be a girl for your mommy,” she cooed while caressing her swelling abdomen.

Jason bristled from that and finally seemed to realize his mistake. He took a moment to just be quiet and hope that the discussion would fade away through the vents. Isabel was glad for the silence and turned to glare out of the window to avoid visibly directing her anger at him. She did not want to start another argument or she was going to have to kick the door open to escape her bastard of a boyfriend.

“So, which way now?” the young man inquired in a lower than usual voice.

“Keep going straight,” she replied venomously, keeping her focus out of the window.

Isabel had been entertaining thoughts of inviting Jason up to her new home, but by the time that they got to her complex, all she wanted to do was get away from him. She gave him a very cold goodbye, not even bothering to kiss him farewell. He felt like his body temperature dropped several degrees when she spoke to him. She slammed the door quite hard, very close to shattering his window. His body did not seem to get warmer until he was back at his dorm.

-*-(New day)-*-

Isabel was wearing a tiny smile on her face while looking down at a magazine that she was pretending to read. It was hard to tell that less than twelve hours ago she was outraged with the father of her baby. She was back to having her usual glow about her, just happy to be pregnant apparently.

“Iz, what do you think of this?” Ellie inquired as she leaned over to show Isabel what she was looking at. She had a magazine in her hand; it was one that she brought in. The magazine was full of baby things.

“That is cute,” Isabel replied in almost a cheerful voice. “Hey, little one, you should see the things your aunt Ellie is picking out for you,” she informed the unborn child, rubbing her stomach as she spoke.

Ellie pulled a pen that was resting behind her ear and circled the item that she was looking at while sitting back. She then returned the pen to her ear and continued on her journey through the magazine. She was going through a magazine full of baby clothes.

Ellie was starting to get sucked into the baby-madness that quickly possessed the Han women. They were all so gaga over the child, who was hardly a bump in Isabel’s abdomen. They had all divided up tasks that they could do for the baby before it had even showed up in the world.

Now, Isabel’s task was to simply carry and have the baby, everything else was up for grabs. Isabella was working on the essentials, things like diapers, a breast pump, bottles, and things like that. Kat had dibs on furniture, but ones that were not essential like a crib. She had already gotten a playpen, a swing, and dozens of toys. Ellie had clothing, which for her included bibs. Whatever they missed in those things were up for grabs by whoever thought of the item first.

Isabel had a feeling that she was going to have at least two of everything that she and the baby needed. It certainly did not help matters that she was buying things when no one was looking. Hey, she could not just sit back and let her family have _all_ the fun!

“Oh, have you started thinking about names yet?” Ellie asked curiously, eyes glancing over at her friend for just a moment before going back to the magazine.

“No. I figure I’ll do that when I know what sex the baby is and maybe I’ll get Jason in on it,” Isabel replied.

“Okay, just do the kid a favor and don’t name it after either of you,” the brunette female requested/pled. She was being quite serious with those words too.

“Well, I can assure you my baby’s name won’t be ‘Jason,’“ Isabel promised with a slight nod, understanding where her best friend was coming from.

“Yeah, well, what about Isabella?” Ellie inquired.

Isabel only smiled. God, she hated the name, but it was a family tradition and she would like naming her daughter after her. But then she just thought about how much she disliked the name. The tradition had to end somewhere, she silently told herself. No, she could not name her baby after her. She did not want her daughter growing up like she did, resentful of her own name.

“Please, Iz, don’t do this to this kid. You know our names haunt us,” Ellie pointed out with a desperate look on her face. She had her hands up to her face, balled into fists, as if she was imploring her friend not to do such a thing.

Ellie knew what it was like to have a name that she hated and also to have a name that was given to her through family tradition. She felt like she had the name of an old woman, Eleanor. Her family was like Isabel’s in a way; it was a matriarchal family. Because of that, there seemed to be rules to naming the girls in the family, which was that all the girl names needed to begin with an “e.” Special girls, either favorites or born to very successful women, were given names that started with “el.”

“I won’t name the baby after me if it’s a girl. I already know what I want to name her if it’s a girl and I know what I want to name him if it’s a boy,” Isabel replied to assure her friend that she was not trying to scar her baby like their mothers had done to them.

“I thought you said you didn’t think of any names,” Ellie said in an almost accusing tone. She glared at the taller young woman. She did not like the fact that Isabel already had names in mind because she wanted to go through a list of suggestions.

“Well, it’s not really that I know, but there are names I’m partial to,” the taller female answered, nudging the chocolate-haired girl with her shoulder to calm her down. She knew that if she had already picked out names for the baby, her friend, sister, and mother would jump down her throat about it.

Ellie leaned in, resting her elbow on the armrest of her chair. “Like?”

“How do you like Penelope?” Isabel asked with a smile. She thought it was delightful sounding name.

Ellie scrunched up her face. “Don’t do that, Iz. Her nickname would be Penny. That doesn’t fit in with you or your screwy family.”

“Fine, fine, fine. I’m just trying to stay away from the whole ‘historical queen’ road that we travel in my family. I don’t see why we always have to be named after queens, even if they didn’t do anything great,” the raven-haired teenager commented.

“Oh, you mean you didn’t think that the whole ‘Spanish Inquisition’ thing was all that great from your namesake?” Ellie teased with a half-smirk. She elbowed her friend to further taunt her for a moment.

Isabel rolled her eyes. She hated giving Ellie openings to use against her ammunition, especially since Ellie knew exactly what to say to get on her nerves. Well, it was too late to take back now. Isabel decided to just move forward.

“Well, what do you think of Vincent if I have a boy?” Isabel inquired with an arched eyebrow.

“Oh, I like that. That’s pretty good, but I’m sure we can do better with time. How about you wait before you decide? I mean, I know you know we have all kinds of names we want to throw your way,” Ellie pointed out.

Isabel nodded to concede that point. She would like to see what her friend, her sister, and her mother would come up with. She also wanted to wait for Jason to come up with some suggestions too. She was getting him involved with their baby before the child was born whether he liked it or not.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Isabel is in a good mood and invites Jason over to her new home. How long does her good mood last, especially when Jason suggests they tell his parents about the baby?

 


	7. Hades

Against the World

Chapter 7: Hades

Isabel was smiling and humming to herself as she was gliding about her kitchen, making dinner. She was in a good mood, which seemed to be her mindset for the most part. She was actually happy that Jason was coming over. She felt like she needed to make up for being such a bitch toward him lately, even though he was being a jerk in her opinion. She could be the bigger person when she wanted to be, though.

So, in order to prove that she could be the bigger person, Isabel had invited Jason over to her apartment to spend the first few days of his break. She did not even put a limit on it. She had left it open ended and he could leave when he wanted; she had a creeping suspicion that the decision was going to come back and bite her in the ass.

“Well, later on doesn’t matter, right little one? We should just spend time with your daddy while we’re in the mood,” Isabel commented, taking a moment to rub her stomach. She could not wait until she was actually showing. She had a little bump in her abdomen now and she was just eager for her belly to start stretching out her shirts.

She considered that she was being silly for wanting to ruin her clothing and gain weight when she first realized that desire, but she did not even think about that anymore. She wanted her baby to be in the world as soon as possible. She could already imagine holding and kissing her baby.

“I can’t wait,” the street fighter said to herself with a smile.

Isabel thought that after a nice dinner between her and Jason, she could show him the baby room that she set up with the help of her mother, her sister, and Ellie. After that, she thought that they might talk about baby names, but in case he was not interested in doing that, she had a stack of movies picked out for them to watch. She was going to try to get the guy interested in the baby, though.

By the time Jason arrived, the meal was done and filling the apartment with a wonderful aroma of tomato sauce and chicken. A bright smiling Isabel greeted him at the door. He seemed surprised by her expression for a moment if the way he blinked and jerked his head back meant anything.

He silently decided that she was the very vision of lovely with the smile, though, and he counted himself as a very lucky man. He drank her in for a moment, feeling quite fulfilled by the sight of her alone, but he decided to take her in more thoroughly. He leaned down and kissed her gently on the mouth, which she returned.

The kiss passed affection between the two of them. She was reminded that she was desired and that someone in the world cared deeply for her, even if he had a weird way of showing it. He was contented to finally feel at peace around her, as he knew he always did whenever she was being calm. They both wished that the kiss would never end, but they did need to breathe.

“Glad you could make it,” Isabel commented as she pulled away from her boyfriend. She placed a soft peck to his smooth cheek before she moved completely away from him.

“You know I wouldn’t miss it,” Jason answered honestly. It was rare for Isabel to invite him over to her home, so he jumped at the opportunity whenever it presented itself. “Here, I brought these for you,” he said while presenting her with a bouquet of white and red roses.

Isabel stepped back because of her surprise while she looked down at the flowers with wide eyes. Usually, she disliked flowers; it was something that seemed to just run in her family. They were gifts that faded so soon that it was hard to even make memories of them. But, for some reason, she was touched that night, almost overwhelmed.

“Thank you, dearest,” Isabel whispered as if she was awed as she accepted the gift.

Jason smiled, proud of himself it would seem. Isabel giggled a bit, but made sure it was low enough that he would not hear her. She motioned for him to step in with a sweep of her hand while nudging the door shut with her foot. Jason started looking around while Isabel went to put her flowers in water.

“Take off your shoes,” Isabel reminded him absently as she walked upstairs.

“Oh, right,” he muttered as he stepped out of his sneakers.

“Dinner’s ready, so whenever you want to eat,” she added.

“Okay.”

Jason decided to just follow Isabel after glancing over the first floor. There was not much space there, but there were three doors for him to see. They were all shut, though. He did not see why she would move out of her old apartment and not move in with him, instead choosing to live in such a small place. When he hit the top floor, he might have changed his opinion if only he did not want her to get an apartment with him.

The top floor was a much larger living space; if the balcony was included it was easily larger than her last apartment. She had hardwood floors, which was not like her, in his opinion anyway. The other apartment that she had was carpeted.

All of Isabel’s old furniture was in the new apartment, so the place did not feel completely alien to Jason. He was able to get comfortable quite easily and they had a pleasant dinner.

Isabel was practically bubbling from her joy since they were getting along so well; that might have had something to do with the fact that Jason was not saying much beyond complimenting her cooking. By the end of the meal, Isabel was squirming in her seat from eagerness. He did not seem to picking up on her near-giddy state.

“Come on, there’s something I want to show you,” Isabel cooed as she took Jason’s large hand, pulling him from the table as soon as his plate was void of food.

“Wait, what?” Jason asked in a puzzled voice as he stood up and followed her to avoid having his arm pulled out of his shoulder.

“Come on!” Isabel giggled like a tickled imp as she yanked him down the stairs, causing him to nearly trip.

“Careful, Iz! I don’t want to fall on you,” he cautioned her with some panic in his voice. He would crush her, after all, if he tumbled on her.

Isabel only laughed more. Jason sighed while wondering what was making her act so oddly. They hit the first floor and Isabel went toward a door that was on the left. He wondered if they were about to get sweaty, but that would not explain her mood. She certainly would not be acting so childish before they got into bed, he figured.

“Ta-da!” Isabel grinned as she pushed open the door and turned on the light in the blink of an eye.

For a moment, Jason was not too sure what he was looking at. The first thing he saw was the lime green walls. He then noticed the white, wooden crib in the corner, so he realized that he was looking in the baby’s room. There was a rocking chair by the window, which was opposite the crib. A small table was by the rocking chair, which held an empty picture frame; Isabel was going to put a picture of their little newborn there as soon as she had the baby. There was a chest next to the crib, which held toys. There were plush toys all over the room, lined up quite neatly.

“What do you think?” Isabel asked, looking up at him to read his eyes in case he decided to lie to her.

“It’s…cute,” he admitted, sounding almost awkward. He did not know that Isabel or the harpies that she was related to could do things cute, so he was a bit shocked by the room.

The two words were all Isabel needed to get going. “I know. We went with green color because it’s gender neutral. Mommy brought the crib the other day. You can tell she did because of the white color, but it goes fine with the room. She got the chair too. All of the plushies came from Kat. Oh, and come look at the little bed spread in the crib.”

Isabel did not give her beloved a chance to respond, just pulling him into the room for him to get a good look at what she wanted him to see. He did not resist that time around and they come up to the crib. He peered inside of the barred bed and saw a tiny lime green pillow with a blanket that had a scene of tropical birds on it. He reached down and touched it. He smiled a little bit, which she noticed and she smiled brightly. And then he seemed to have a revelation.

“We need to tell my parents about the baby,” he informed her.

Those words stripped Isabel of her smile, turning it completely upside down. Her shoulders dropped right along with her expression. Tell his parents? She would rather figure out how to get her neck to eat her head. She supposed that he made a point, though; after all, she had told her mother. It was their grandchild too.

“We’ll tell them tomorrow when I go to their house,” Jason seemed to insist. He did not notice how Isabel’s whole mood had fallen into the basement from his suggestion.

“Yeah, tomorrow,” Isabel muttered. She rubbed her stomach slightly, which helped bring her mood back up, but she did not reach the joyful levels that she had been at when he came in.

“So, what do you want to do now?” Jason asked curiously.

She supposed that while he seemed to be in a good mindset over their child, she needed to throw the idea out there that they should talk about baby names and other things. “I want to talk about names,” she informed him, smiling a bit with the hope that the expression would get him to agree.

“Names?” he echoed in a confused tone. One of his eyebrows craned from his bemusement.

“Yes, names. For the baby,” she clarified with another smile.

“Oh, okay,” he concurred.

The couple retreated to the living room, which was a small space; it was set up that way because the huge balcony was supposed to be used to for entertaining. It just was a grim idea to go out on the balcony in the dead of winter. They curled up on the sofa and Isabel picked up a notebook from the coffee table that she had in front of the couch.

“This has all the names that me, Kat, Ellie, and my mom came up with,” Isabel told him in an eager tone while opening the book.

“You already came up with all of these?” he inquired while looking to see that she had the page filled and from the impressions, he could see that the back of the page was just as full. He was almost overwhelmed by her enthusiasm with the situation.

“Well, these front ones are just from Kat. She’s got names for an entire country,” Isabel commented with a chuckle. Kat was actually still coming up with names after filling the first five pages of the notebook on her own. It seemed that as soon as Isabel informed her sister that she was not going to be naming the baby after herself, Kat was on a mission to grab the “perfect” name.

Jason did not respond; he was too busy looking the names over. Isabel smiled softly to herself, happy that he seemed to be interested in the names. She hoped that he would either spot some names that he liked or come up with some of his own, as long as the name was not “Jason.” There were worse names that he could come up with; he might want to name their baby after one of his parents, after all. She would not stand for that, especially since she was not naming the baby after herself or her mother, if the child was a girl anyway.

Isabel had been a bit shocked when she told her mother that she was not going to be naming the baby “Isabella Katherine Marie” if she had a girl that her mother did not go berserk. Her mother was surprisingly understanding about it. As it turned out, Isabella had wanted to give Isabel a different name when she was born, but her mother would not allow it. Isabel wished that she had been able to get away with a different name, but as it turned out, she still would have bore the first name that she had now. She guessed that there was just no way to escape it, but then again, tradition was tradition.

“Hey, you don’t have my name down here,” Jason commented as he finished going through the names. He looked puzzled by that revelation, his mouth scrunched up to one side and his eyebrows curled up in sheer confusion.

“Yeah, I know. If you noticed, my name isn’t down there either. This is for the baby, not us,” she pointed out.

“I want to name my son after me,” he argued strongly.

Isabel shrugged nonchalantly. “So carry your son yourself and you can do that. While I’m carrying this baby, we’re going for original names. So, come up with some names if you don’t like any of these,” she calmly ordered him.

“What about Roger?” he suggested, hopeful that she agreed.

Isabel frowned. “Original names, not after you or your father. So, come up with a name you like.”

Jason made an annoyed noise that Isabel paid little attention to. She decided to get the ball rolling by pointing out names that she liked. He did not seem too interested in any names that was not his own or his father’s, which meant he was in for a long night. He tried to focus on the names and words coming out of Isabel’s mouth, but the look on his face showed that he was resentful of the fact that there was no chance that his son would carry his name.

His face was tight as Isabel spoke. His body was rigid. He did not say much as she continued on, pausing to allow him some input. He mumbled when he did speak and sounded like someone poured lemon juice on his tongue when he said anything.

Isabel noticed Jason’s annoyance with the task, but she did not care. It just told her that she could pick their baby’s name without any help from him since he wanted to be a jerk about things and throw his silently little temper tantrum. It seemed that ever since he found out about the baby, he had been more of a jerk, in her opinion. She hoped that that changed. It was a dreary notion that he would be sour through her whole pregnancy, especially when she was damn near giddy about everything.

Once Isabel was done with the baby names, they decided to watch a movie, which was fine by Jason. He was much more behaved then, seeming to be all right now that the baby talk had passed. He embraced Isabel, holding her close against his hulking form. She wrapped her arms around him and tried to forget that tomorrow she was going to have to see his parents.

-*-(Next day)-*-

Isabel was sitting in the car, rubbing her face with her hands. She was trying to get herself together mentally for the horrible trial she was about to be put through. She reminded herself that she could not kill anyone because she was pregnant and she did not want to have her baby in prison.

“Think of the baby,” Isabel muttered to herself.

Her thoughts were thrown off as Jason knocked on the window, signaling for her to get out. She sighed and opened the door. She stepped out of the car and looked at what she believed to be the Gates of Hell. She bet a bunch of people would be surprised to know that the Gates of Hell were actually a white, picket fence that led to a large Victorian style mansion. Hell was located in a very nice, gated community too.

“Come on,” Jason said gently while putting his arm around her waist.

Isabel allowed Jason to lead her to the house. He had to put down several bags as he pulled out his keys to open the door. They entered the house and he left his bags right there, knowing that someone would pick them up sometime in the future and put them where they needed to be. They then proceeded out of the lobby, down the hall, and into the dining room, which was where Jason knew his parents would be having breakfast.

The room was large with a big black table in the center of it. It was painted a warm blue with bay windows at the back. The curtains were pulled back and the room was being bathed in sunlight. His parents were sitting at the table, next to each other, but not paying each other much mind.

“Good morning, Dad, Mom,” the football player greeted his parents with a broad smile on his handsome face.

“So, you finally made it home, son,” his father commented and then he looked up from the newspaper that he was buried in. The moment that his deep blue eyes noticed Isabel by his son’s side, his expression fell right into a disapproving frown. He glared daggers at Isabel, as if trying to will her death with his eyes.

It was no secret that Jason’s parents held no love for Isabel. The feeling was quite mutual. They all typically avoided each other because Isabel did not want to hear something from them when something that could be used as a weapon was nearby.

Jason took after his father as far as appearances went. His father was not quite as large or as wide as Jason, but he still was quite the sight physically speaking. He was just over six-feet tall with jet-black hair, but he was going grey on the sides of his head. His face had a few wrinkles on it while his strong jaw was marred with the frown that was brought on by Isabel’s presence. His blue eyes, behind thin-framed glasses, narrowed slightly when he saw that Jason was holding Isabel around her waist.

“Good morning, Mister and Missus Gooding,” Isabel forced the greeting from her mouth. Her teeth seemed to try there best to keep those words from escaping, but they did not do what they wished.

The Goodings, Roger and Helen, did not even bother to reply to Isabel. She preferred the silence to some biting comment from one of them that could force her to reach for a spoon and use it in ways never intended. She doubted that they ever knew how close they were to losing the use of their legs and control of many important bodily functions when they started up on her.

Jason glanced over his parents’ rudeness toward his girlfriend. “Mom, Dad, we have an announcement to make,” he stated with forced confidence and that caught his parents attention.

“Tell me you’re not marrying her,” his mother begged as she shot her gaze up from own paper. Her sharp blue eyes, the color of pure ocean water, glared at Isabel before falling on Jason with a worried look. Her white, once blonde hair, barely moved from all of the sharp movements of her head.

“Like hell,” Isabel muttered to herself. She was already bound to these people through the fact that she and Jason were having a baby. She could not even imagine them being her in-laws. People would definitely have to die then, she figured.

Jason missed the comment by his girlfriend because he was too busy being annoyed with his mother’s offense to the idea of him marrying Isabel. Sure, that was not the announcement, but he did have a deep wish to make Isabel his wife one day. He just had to prove that he was not trying to marry her because of their child.

“No, Mom, we’re not getting married,” Jason practically huffed, scowling deeply as he spoke.

Jason’s parents openly sighed in relief upon hearing that news. Isabel wanted to laugh because they were probably going to hear the second worst thing of their lives right now. Sure, it was going to be annoying to her in the future to have them as grandparents to her baby, but it was going to be fun to watch them react to the news. She was hoping that Helen went so far as to faint considering her flare for melodramatics.

“Isabel’s going to have my baby,” Jason announced loudly.

Isabel smirked wickedly as his parents were struck dumb by that newsflash. Their eyes looked larger than the Pacific Ocean. They even forgot how to breathe for several important seconds. Isabel started chuckling to herself before his parents brought her away from her happy place, their pain and suffering.

“Are you just going to take her word for it? That could be anyone’s little monster!” Helen hollered in a fury while pounding on the table with one hand and pointing at Isabel with the other hand as if she was hoping her index finger would somehow blow the teenager up.

“Oh, we’re definitely getting you a paternity test the second she has this baby. Unless she just has something she wants to say now,” Roger commented, as if he suddenly had Isabel cornered and in a trap. He issued her a challenging glare, letting her know that he was calling her a filthy slut in his mind.

Jason gulped a bit because of the implications that his father was making. He knew that when he had almost asked that question it was almost his death. He pulled Isabel closer to him, hoping to keep her calm. She was actually fine, smirking like a demon.

“I say, have fun wasting your money,” Isabel replied and then she giggled a bit. She put her hand on her stomach. “Do as many of those tests as you’d like, in fact. Maybe it’ll count as a tax write off.”

Roger and Helen frowned because Isabel’s confidence was disturbing. It would seem that the little hood-rat, as they thought of her, was certain that the baby was their son’s child. They glanced at each other and then at Isabel, who was still smiling.

“We’ll see,” Roger said, deciding to call her bluff. He figured that she was trying to psych them out, but he was not going to fall for it. He was getting a test to prove that she was a lying bitch, trying to trap his son.

“Yes, we will,” Isabel replied, an evil glint in her emerald eyes.

“What even makes you two think you’re ready for a baby?” Helen demanded to know. Her eyes seemed to catch fire as she realized that if Isabel had Jason’s baby there would be no way to get her out of Jason’s life. She would probably use the child for all kinds of foul tricks on Jason, Helen thought with a fury. She was not going to let that little harlot take advantage of her only son!

“You know, we’ll pay for—” Roger tried to say.

“If the word ‘abortion’ leaves your mouth, sir, I won’t be responsible for my actions and you don’t even want to know what I’m going to do with that bagel you’re eating,” Isabel remarked quite seriously.

The Goodings were all taken back by that comment it seemed; their expressions a cross between shocked and horrified. The parents allowed glares to replace their other expressions while Jason looked down at Isabel with concern in his eyes. He knew that she was very sensitive about suggestions involving getting rid of the baby.

“We’ll pay for it,” Roger insisted through gritted teeth. He doubted that Isabel could afford one and he did not want to think about how she might get the money for one. He thought that he was offering her a good way out; he was about to find out how wrong he was.

“Look, first and foremost, I don’t need your fucking money,” Isabel said in a heated tone while pointing a menacing finger at the middle-aged businessman. “Second of all, I’m keeping this fucking baby and raising it. I don’t give a fuck what you think, you haughty bastards—”

Isabel would have kept going if only Jason had not pulled her out of the room. He grinned nervously at his parents while taking her away. He turned to Isabel and sighed, shaking his head too.

“Iz, you didn’t have to—” Jason started to mildly admonish her, but she cut him off.

“Don’t fucking stick up for them. If they didn’t want to get told off, they should’ve kept their damn mouths shut. Fucking bastards,” Isabel said angrily, speaking loud enough for his parents to still hear her.

“Calm down, Iz. I know how you feel,” he said while caressing her shoulder with the hope that it would soothe her nerves.

Isabel rolled her eyes. Like hell he knew how she felt! If he was even slightly as pissed as she was, he would be in the dining room telling his parents off right along with her. She would actually just like to turn around and smash a couple of glasses in their faces just for good measure, but she supposed that would be seen as going to the extreme by Jason.

“Dearest, take me home,” Isabel commanded in a low, tense voice.

“Um…okay. Are you sure you don’t want to stay for a while? We could hammer out some details about the baby,” he proposed.

“No, just take me home,” she insisted with a dissatisfied frown.

Jason decided not to argue with her and just do what she wanted. He drove her home and then returned to his parents’ house after spending a few quiet hours with Isabel. He managed to calm her down in that time. His parents were at home when he arrived, waiting for him in the living room. They called him into the room as soon as they heard him come through the door. He wasted no time going to them.

“Son, was she telling the truth? Is that really your baby?” Roger inquired, trying not to sound disappointed. Venom did seep into his voice, though. He could not help it; just thought of Isabel caused his stomach to knot up and hate to flare in his soul.

Jason shrugged. “It’s what she says and I believe her,” he answered in a confident voice. While Isabel had a lot of bad habits, lying was not one of them, especially not lying about something so important. Sure, he had almost dared to ask the same thing that his father was asking now, but he had been shocked at the time.

“This won’t do,” Helen commented while shaking her head, disapproving of everything it would seem.

“What do you mean?” Jason asked with a confused expression on his face.

“Well, we obviously can’t let her raise the baby if it is yours, especially if you’re not married to her,” Helen replied.

“Mom, I hope you’re not thinking of challenging Isabel for child custody,” Jason said with a look of sheer terror on his face. Isabel would undoubtedly eat his parents alive with salad and bread if they dared to try such a thing.

“Well, we’ll have to do something. We can’t just let a hoodlum like her raise our grandchild. She’s got no kind of upbringing and would only raise a little savage more than likely,” Helen declared quite serious.

“Mom…” Jason said. His parents were about to mess with the bull and he doubted that they were gong to like where they got the horns. His parents did not listen to him, though. They were set on their decision to get the baby away from Isabel if it was their son’s child.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Someone moves in with Isabel. Who could that be? The baby arrives too!

 


	8. Chances

Chapter 8: Chances

Most people that saw Isabel now were used to seeing her with a small, almost delighted smile on her face. The folks that knew her were aware that she was smiling because she was still quite happy with her pregnancy, especially since she was not having horrible morning sickness anymore. No, she had not the morning sickness for months now.

She was showing to the point where she could not see her own feet, which was somewhat dangerous considering the fact that she had to climb stairs in her apartment quite often. She often took the stairs slow and steady no matter what, but it was still troublesome to not be able to see her feet. It was quite all right though, since it was agreed upon by three other very interested parties that she was not to be left on her own.

Isabella, Kat, and Ellie had all come together and agreed that one of them should stay with Isabel, despite the fact that she had vigorously protested to that; no one even listened to her. Ellie jumped at the chance as it gave her an excuse to get out of her mother’s house and be around her best friend; not that she would offer up that latter piece of information even under torture. Isabel decided to count her blessings; after all, her mother could have volunteered.

Ellie moved in during the spring after telling her mother that she would probably be living with Isabel for the rest of the year, maybe longer. She had to explain why and her mother seemed to understand that quite well, but still called Isabella to confirm the story. Once having Isabella’s word on things, Ellie was free to leave her mother’s house…until next year anyway. Ellie was not free to leave her mother’s house until she was twenty-one. The excuse for that was to make sure that she finished school, but she looked at it as her mother just wanting to torment her by having her on a short leash.

“El, you want to order out for dinner tonight?” Isabel asked curiously from her space on the sofa. She was lying down on the black leather couch, trying to watch a movie, but she really was not in the mood. She would rather do what Ellie was doing just a few feet away from her.

“I really don’t care,” Ellie replied while going through practice fight moves. She had not been fighting as much as in the past because she was “taking care” of Isabel, but that was all right. She was not hurting for cash, especially since she moved out of her mother’s house and did not have to pay rent anymore. Isabella was actually taking care of all the expenses for them until Isabel was back in form to take care of herself. Isabel was almost certain that aliens had abducted her mother and the woman doing so much for her and the baby was a poor-excuse-for-a-clone.

“I’m craving chicken again,” Isabel commented with a slight frown while gently rubbing her large belly. She was under the impression that her baby liked chicken a lot because it was the one food that she always wanted for dinner.

Ellie groaned and frowned too, almost as if she was disgusted to hear that. “More chicken? If you’re eating more chicken, we’re ordering out.” There was no way in hell that she was cooking and eating chicken again; she had already done that three times that week alone.

Isabel shrugged; it was a fair trade in her opinion. She reached for the phone, which was lying on the floor next to her, and was shocked as it rang in her hand; her eyebrows shot up a little, but her face relaxed less than a second later. She glanced down at the small screen to see who was calling her. She made a slightly confused face, her mouth turning downward for a second, as she answered it.

“Yes, Jason?” Isabel greeted her boyfriend in her normal, calm tone of voice.

“Yeah, I’m outside right now, so I was wondering if I could get you anything,” Jason proposed.

Isabel smiled to herself. Jason was being quite sweet to her since he got off from school for the summer. The cynical side of her was suspicious of his actions, wondering what he was trying to get for himself from his actions. But, she ignored that side of her for once in her life.

“I’m soooooooo hungry,” Isabel whined into the phone. She made an exaggerated pout into the phone, like he could see.

The football player chuckled lightly. “Let me guess, you want some chicken?” he asked, sounding quite amused.

“I thought you’d never ask,” she purred. Not too far away, Ellie rolled her eyes and tried not to throw up. Isabel noticed, but she ignored the typically sour fighter.

“Anything specific?” he inquired curiously.

“No, anything that’s chicken will do. I need you to get something for Ellie too, though,” Isabel informed him.

Jason was quiet for a second; he was scowling on the other end of the line and she suspected as much. He knew that Ellie was living with Isabel now since he had been over the apartment a few times since school ended. The tension at those times was so thick that it was almost physically crushing.

“What does she want?” the football player asked with a bit of an attitude.

“I don’t know. Ellie, what do you want?” Isabel inquired while looking up at her temporary roommate.

Ellie laughed while fighting off the urge to say “surprise me.” If she said something like that, Jason might just be a jerk and bring her nothing; it would be quite the unwanted surprise. It would not be the first time he did something like that.

“Tell him I want some fried fish and fries,” Ellie answered, continuing her practice moves.

Isabel conveyed the message and Jason confirmed the orders before they disconnected the call. She stretched out on the sofa and yawned happily. She focused back on the movie and began petting her belly once more; she rubbed her stomach almost as if it was a cute kitten. It would seem that Jason being a sweetheart to her made her forget about her envy of Ellie…for now anyway.

“Should I leave after dinner?” Ellie asked curiously.

“No. Not unless you want to anyway,” Isabel replied. She did not plan on doing anything with Jason that involved being left alone, having lost any appetite for sex about a month ago. Before that was another matter altogether though; she had carved sex as if it was the only thing that would keep her alive and Jason refused to touch her, thinking it would not be safe for the baby, no matter how many times she told him it was fine.

“Well, I don’t want to have to throw something at him again,” the brown-haired young woman muttered. Well, it was more like she did not want to break something that was not his head again. She thought it was stupid to ruin her friend’s things just because Jason was a jackass. She wished that she had some of his things to throw at him when he started up.

Isabel shrugged; it did not matter one way or another to her as long as Ellie was not throwing anything that she cared about. The last time her best friend threw something, it was just a pot. Sure, it almost hit a window, but that could be fixed and, frankly, she thought that Ellie was justified in tossing the thing that Jason. Hey, he should not have told Ellie that her major was worthless in real life and she was stupid for choosing it. He pretty much voluntarily stepped into the lion’s den with those words.

Ellie decided that she would wait for Jason to show up before figuring out if she needed to get out of Dodge, so to speak. His last couple of visits had been pushing her buttons to the point where she wanted to hit him with the granite kitchen counter; lucky for him, the counter was well built and not moving from its resting place.

Jason was at the door twenty minutes later, pounding on the wood as if he was trying to break it down. Ellie went to go answer it to avoid having Isabel go down the stairs; hey, she took her job semi-seriously. She was eager for the baby’s arrival like everyone else, so she was going to do her part.

“Hey,” the chocolate-eyed female grunted as a greeting to Jason.

“Meh,” he grunted right in return. “This wouldn’t happen if I just had keys,” he mumbled.

She rolled her eyes while he pushed in passed her, carrying a couple of white plastic bags. He came close to elbowing her in the neck and she silently wished he would. She just wanted the excuse to spread him out on the sidewalk outside. He trotted upstairs with Ellie behind him after she shut the door; she did give him the finger behind his back for a moment. Isabel smiled when she heard the heavy footsteps, knowing only Jason made that much noise on the stairs.

“Hey, dearest,” Isabel greeted her boyfriend as he hit the landing. She was smiling brightly at the sight of him.

“Hey, babe. How’re you doing?” Jason inquired as he put one of the bags that he had down on the kitchen counter. He then continued on over to Isabel.

“I’m fine. A bit tired,” she answered while motioning with her hand for him to lean down.

Jason bent down to her level and Isabel gave him a gentle kiss on the mouth. Ellie came up to see that and rolled her eyes to the display. She decided to check the bag on the counter for her food and then figured that she would just go out on the balcony to eat. Once she saw that was her order, she went outside to avoid throwing up from seeing the two lovebirds, who had actually been arguing a lot less lately and more like a couple, much to her disgust.

“How’s my little Eric doing today?” Jason inquired while rubbing Isabel’s stomach. His eyes glanced up at his girlfriend, giving her a warm look, before going back to focusing on her belly.

“Not liking the name Eric,” Isabel replied with a little laugh. They had never found out the sex of the baby for the surprise factor and Isabel actually did not care what they were having, although a boy seemed to be very important to Jason.

Jason pouted a bit. “No? I thought you’d like that one. I’ll come up with something,” he vowed.

Isabel only smiled as she sat up to eat her food. Jason got up to get her something to drink. He moved more freely in that apartment than in her other apartment. In the old apartment, he would never think to go into her refrigerator without her requesting such or without asking her. It started out as a tentative thing, but when Isabel did not yell at him, he got bold and now just wandered the apartment almost as if he lived there.

“How about Edward?’ Jason asked curiously as he pulled out a bottle of water for her.

“No,” Isabel replied, shaking her head in disagreement.

Boys really were the only thing on her man’s mind as far as the baby was concerned. He had already started buying a bunch of football and hockey things, Jason’s favorite sports, to get the baby hooked into at least one of those activities. She did not say anything because she figured that it was nice that he was taking an interest in the baby.

“This is a hard kid to please,” he remarked with a bit of a laugh as he returned to her and put down the water on the coffee table. His eyes shined as he laughed, which she thought was cute.

She laughed a bit, her eyes just as bright as her boyfriend’s. She was happy that he was throwing names out there, but she did not like any of the names. She was bit bothered that he only mentioned boys’ names, but she did not say anything about that because he was doing much better than he had at the beginning of the pregnancy. She was not looking to rock the boat when their relationship had finally hit relatively calm waters that lasted more than a few minutes.

“Well, what about William?” he suggested while making himself comfortable on the sofa right next to him. He carefully lifted her legs and rested them in his lap since she was still lounging on the couch, taking up much of the space.

“Nah,” Isabel replied, shaking her head again before diving into her dish of grilled chicken breast and yellow rice. She could not help making a satisfied “yum” noise as she started chewing the food. Oh, it was so good, she thought with a delighted shiver.

Jason chuckled a bit when he caught sight of Isabel’s expression, smiling as if she was in heaven. A proud feeling swelled in his chest, seeming to puff his chest out. He smiled, enjoying the fact that he could do something that would put such a euphoric smile on Isabel’s face.

Isabel moved and sat up properly. She leaned over and kissed Jason’s cheek before digging back into her food. His chest seemed to expand just a little more. He put his arm around her shoulders and turned his attention to the television. It seemed that all was right in their world.

-*-(New day)-*-

“Okay, you know what, this kid is either coming out soon or I’m going to start charging it rent,” Isabel grumbled as she struggled to get up off of the couch. She was sticking to it thanks to the heat of the day. She made it after her third try.

“Maybe if you started eating red meat, it’ll flee the scene,” Ellie joked from in the kitchen. She was working on some breakfast.

Isabel made a face; through out her pregnancy, she could not eat red meat. She could barely stand looking at it. She still craved chicken most of the time. She could stomach fish, and on occasion lamb, but not much else as far as meat went. She was already planning to go out and buy a platter of ox tails when her stomach went back to normal. After having ox tails, she planned to gorge herself on steaks…if her mother let her anyway.

“You’re not _too_ overdue,” Ellie commented as she flipped her omelet. She had the nerve to sound like that line made sense.

“I’m overdue is the point. Come on out, baby. We want to me you,” Isabel cooed while looking down at her large belly that she was rubbing. She went and sat down at the kitchen counter, where there was an omelet and some home fries waiting for her.

“We really do, kid,” Ellie concurred with a smile. She actually wanted to have a baby of her own just from the way that she was feeling about Isabel having a baby. Unfortunately, she knew that doing such a thing before she was out of her mother’s grasp would bring unimaginable trouble to her.

The baby was supposed to come at the beginning of the month. Well, the beginning of the month was three weeks ago. She hoped that the baby would come before Jason started school again, but it did not seem like things were going to go her way. The football season had started already, so Jason was back on campus.

“You ever think the kid’s staying where he is because you don’t know what you’re going to name him yet?” Ellie teased a bit as she finished fixing up her food and sat down on the other side of the counter.

Isabel rolled her eyes. “I know what the hell I’m calling this baby… I think anyway,” she said with a small smile.

“So, you and lover-boy picked a name?” Ellie guessed while adding some ketchup to her meal, both her omelet and her home fries.

“No,” Isabel admitted with a sigh, her shoulders dropped slightly, but only for a moment.

She hated every name that Jason through at her and he looked at her as if she had two heads whenever she suggested a name. Jason was pretty intent on naming their baby, who he believed was a son, some Western name. Isabel was open to global names, especially if they were having a boy because she did not have to worry about her family tradition. Thinking of girl names was not too bad, even with the family tradition, and she had come across a few that grabbed her. She already knew that her mother, sister, or best friend would not accept the few that caught her attention, so she was still looking.

“Does Jason even know what he’s going to do when you have this kid? Do you even know what you’re going to do?” Ellie asked because she noticed that the couple was going about things as if it was business as usual when they did have a baby due like yesterday.

“I don’t know what all three of us are going to do, but I damn sure know what I’m going to do,” Isabel answered with certainty as she shoved a few home fries in her mouth.

The chocolate-haired fighter nodded; she had no doubt that Isabel had her life planned out with the baby, but it was not just Isabel and the baby. Jason was in the picture and it was not like they were broken up or anything. Isabel and Jason were together and their relationship seemed better now than ever before. They needed to consider that…in Ellie’s not-so-humble opinion.

“Well, are you going to let him live with you? He does seem to be creeping around like he wants that,” Ellie pointed out, cutting her omelet with her fork.

Isabel looked down at her food, which was almost gone, thinking on sharing her living space with her boyfriend. Jason had been hinting that he wanted to live in the apartment in very subtle ways. He spent the night whenever he got the chance. He sometimes remarked that he needed to have keys when Ellie grumbled about having to answer the door. He was also not making any effort to find his own apartment nearby or at all, even though he was going to be graduating from school soon.

“You think I should live with him?” Isabel asked curiously, eyes still down on her plate.

“Well, I don’t think you’d murder him anymore. I might, but not you. I think the baby’s doing him good, so you should give him a shot,” Ellie answered, trying to sound like it was no big deal.

Now, Ellie was no fan of Jason’s. He rubbed her the wrong way, but that did not mean that she would biased her opinion on what she witnessed between the couple. They seemed to be getting along quite well and maybe it was time for Isabel to take the next step. She was having the man’s baby, after all.

Isabel nodded, thinking pretty much the same thing as her friend. Jason was behaving extremely well recently. Maybe they would work out well if they moved in together. She then turned her attention back to Ellie.

“Are you going to go back home if he moves in?” the raven-haired woman asked; her eyes were still locked on her food.

“Well, you’re going to have a full house if he moves in and I already don’t have a bed when he comes by,” Ellie replied. Usually, she shared the king-sized bed in Isabel’s bedroom with the pregnant woman, but when Jason came over, he slept in the bed with Isabel. Ellie typically took the couch or the living room floor then.

“So, you’re going to go back home with your mother?” Isabel asked, looking up now and her eyes wide from disbelief.

Ellie looked as if Isabel had just asked her if she was going to shoot herself in the face. “Hell, no. I’ll go stay with someone else and just keep saying I’m staying with you. Not like you’re going to tell her I’m lying if she calls for me. I’m out of there now. That woman isn’t seeing me again until next year and even then, it won’t be for too long. When my birthday comes, I’m gone,” she stated soundly, pointing downward to emphasize her stance on the matter.

The taller martial artist laughed a bit. She should have known that Ellie had a backup plan. She supposed that it was time for her to take the plunge and invite Jason to live with her. She had to take a deep breath and calm her heartbeat as her mind started saying that she was moving too fast. She decided to ignore that doubting voice in her head and make the proposal the next time that Jason was over.

-*-(New day)-*-

“How’s my little guy doing?” Jason inquired, speaking down to Isabel’s overgrown stomach. She was parked on the couch again and they were alone in the apartment. Ellie had gone out the moment Jason showed up.

“Getting on my nerves,” Isabel replied with a tight look on her face.

“I’m sure he’ll come out soon,” the football player assured his girlfriend, knowing the fact that the baby was supposed to have arrived sometime ago was getting to her. To make matters worse, her doctor was not going to induce labor for her.

“I hope so. Dearest, I was wondering something,” Isabel said.

“Yes?” he asked while looking up at her.

“Would you like to move in?” she inquired quite bluntly, like it was something that she would normally ask.

Jason was literally taken back by that suggestion. His head jerked back and he took one step back. His heart beat irregularly from the surprise. He stared at Isabel with wide eyes, trying to make sure that she was being serious and not teasing like she had a bad habit of doing. She was not wearing her usual devilish smirk, so he figured that she was being serious.

Once he figured out that Isabel was not messing with him, he needed to compose himself because he could not believe that his Isabel was offering such a thing. She was taking a new step with him; one that he hoped would eventually lead to her agreeing to marry him. He took a few deep breaths and tried to will his heart to calm down.

Isabel wondered why he was taking so long to answer. She noticed how tense his body was. She wondered if she misinterpreted his behavior. Maybe he did not want to move in with her, she considered.

“Yeah,” Jason answered in a low tone because he was having trouble breathing. His heart rate was speeding up and he was pretty sure that he was hyperventilating. He put his hand on his chest.

“Dearest, breathe, breathe,” she implored him while wrapping her arms around him as if she was going to support him. She could not even fit her arms around him thanks to his board shoulders and her huge belly.

“I’m okay,” he replied while sucking in enough air to fill both lungs. She gently massages his left side to help calm him down and his heart finally started to beat at the proper rhythm again.

“That’s good. So, you’re going to move in, right?” she asked just to be sure.

“Yeah,” he assured her. How could he pass up such a thing?

Isabel smiled as did Jason. He believed that she was finally opening up to him. They were on the right path in his opinion. With luck, they could get married soon and be a proper family, he thought. Little did he know, but Isabel did not look at it as the right course for their relationship. She merely looked at it as an experiment and she was not sure about the possible outcomes.

-*-(New day)-*-

Isabel had never been happier to be in so much pain in all of her life. She just wanted the baby out of her now. The doctors could have told her that to get her child out they would have had to split her from navel to nose and she would have agreed to start the process. But, things did not have to get that extreme since the baby was coming on its own…or that was what she had been told. Ten hours later and still no sign of the kid was leading her to believe that she was giving birth to practical joker.

“Okay, kid, when you get out of here and you’re old enough, I’m so kicking your ass for this,” Isabel vowed in her head. She was also making mental notes to make Jason regret putting her in such a state. Yes, it was all his fault, her pain clouded mind decided. New objective: slaughter Jason without mercy when everything was said and done.

Her plan slipped her mind as soon as the baby arrived and she was informed that they had a baby girl. She looked at Jason, who was there with her the whole time and noticed his expression. His jaw practically went through the floor upon getting the news. His face was quite crestfallen and he was disappointed it would seem that they had a baby girl. The first words out of his mouth confirmed his mood.

“What am I supposed to do with all that football stuff?” Jason muttered while scratching the top of his head. His mouth was turned downward, pulled closed tight, thinning out his lips. He walked out of the room, claiming that he needed to get something to snack on. And right then and there, Isabel recalled that she was supposed to kill him without mercy.

Her murderous thoughts did not last long once again. She forgot all about Jason when she was allowed to hold her baby girl. She had a healthy, seven pound baby girl with very familiar green eyes.

“I know you,” Isabel cooed to the sleeping baby.

“Well, let other people get to know the kid then,” Kat remarked from the doorway of the hospital room.

Isabel looked up and saw her sister, her mother, and Ellie standing at the front of the room. She smiled slightly, as did they. Isabel was too out of it to think that the devil must have been making snow cones since her mother was smiling; the weather in Hell had to rival the polar regions of the planet. The trio instantly fell to ogling the dozing baby like she was a precious gem.

“Oh, look at my little niece. That is a niece right?” Kat asked to be sure, her eyes going from the baby to her sister.

“Yes, it’s a niece,” Isabel answered with a laugh.

“Oh, that totally kicks ass,” Kat cheered in a toned down manner because she did not want to chance waking up the baby. When she got out of the hospital, she planned to do backflips because she had a baby niece!

“She looks just like you when you were born,” Isabella commented in a surprisingly soft tone. Her sapphire eyes focused on the new child in the family.

Isabel was stunned to the point that she forgot to blink for several seconds. Her mother remembered what she looked like when she was a baby? She supposed that it made sense as she knew that she was never going to forget what her baby girl looked like right now, her eyes closed tightly and her tiny hands balled into mini-fists. She was actually so adorable when she was born, so small, so endearing?

“Hey, where’s your pet gorilla?” Ellie asked curiously while looking around the dreary room, referring to Jason.

“He went out for something to eat,” Isabel answered in a neutral tone. She did not even want to tell that them how long ago that was.

“Well, we’ll see about getting you two out of there. Are you sure you don’t want Ellie to go back home with you when you’re out?” Isabella inquired, keeping her usual impartial tone when speaking to her eldest child.

“I’ll be fine. Jason’s been a big help,” Isabel answered, speaking the truth. She hoped that he kept that up, even though they had a daughter and not a son like he so desperately wanted.

“All right, all right. So, what’s my little granddaughter’s name?” Isabella asked, knowing already that the tradition name was stopping at Isabel.

“I think I’m going to go with Cassandra,” the new mother replied with a little nod. For some reason, she thought that the girl in her arms looked very much like a Cassandra.

“Cassie!” Kat proclaimed immediately, pumping her fist in the air and grinning.

“Um…I believe I said Cassandra,” Isabel repeated in a firm tone.

“That’s not too offensive to the ears,” Ellie commented, folding her arms across her chest and nodding in an approving manner.

Isabel nodded in agreement. She supposed that every name under the sun bothered her and Ellie to some degree. It came from the idea that they believed every kid would eventually find some reason to hate her name.

The trio stuck around until Jason returned. The three women frowned as Jason entered the room, disliking how long he had been gone from the new mother and baby. His demeanor did not help, as he was frowning and tense when he should have been celebrating in their opinions. There was a heavy air around him that bothered them too. They decided not to say anything and just collectively figured that they would leave for a while. They could use some food anyway.

“Izzie, I’ll go find out when you can go home,” Isabella offered since she was leaving anyway. Her voice was still flat and neutral when addressing her eldest.

“Thanks, Mommy,” Isabel replied, making the polite response sound almost dead in response to her mother’s voice.

“We’re going to go get some food. You want anything, sis?” Kat asked.

Isabel smiled as she realized what she wanted. “Anything that’s not chicken.”

Ellie and Kat laughed as the three women left. Isabel watched them go and then she turned her attention to Jason. He was looking around the dull hospital room, everywhere but his new family. Isabel sighed, but controlled her temper.

“You want to hold Cassandra?” Isabel inquired in soft tone.

“Cassandra?” he echoed, slowly turning to look at his girlfriend. He took in the plain, cream-colored walls from all sides before facing her.

“Yes, I figured that’s what we should name her. What do you think?” she asked. She thought that he would be all right with the name since it came from ancient Greek, like his name. That was the closest that she would get to naming a baby after him; it helped that she really liked the name Cassandra and it followed her family’s tradition in a way.

“It’s good,” he mumbled with no conviction whatsoever, his eyes now on the ceiling.

Isabel almost frowned, but she caught herself. “So, you want to hold her?” she asked again. Surely holding their little girl, seeing what a beautiful tiny creature they created would cure him of his sourness. Hell, even her mother was not immune to the baby and her mother was the damn devil as far as she was concerned.

Jason nodded and went over to the bed. He took the baby in his arms, carefully resting her head on his thick bicep. He looked down at her and watched as she yawned. Any and all hardness in his face melted right then and there. Isabel smiled; Cassandra was irresistible. It seemed that everything was right in her world until a few days later when she found out something beyond incredible. Jason’s parents were suing her for custody of the baby. Things were about to get ugly.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: That’s right, Jason’s parents challenge Isabel for custody of Cassandra. One has to wonder how that’ll turn out.

 


	9. The devil and her minions

Chapter 9: The devil and her minions

“What in the nine levels of Hell do they think they’re doing?” Isabel silently fumed as she got word that Jason’s parents were actually looking to take Cassandra from her. if one looked carefully, smoke could be seen coming out of her ears, which was probably due to the fact that the fires of Hell were burning in her eyes.

Isabel could not believe that they were trying to take away her little girl, who she barely had for a week. They wanted to question her ability to be a mother? Fine, they were asking for it, she decided. She was not going to pull any punches with such assholes.

“Mommy’s not gonna let you go, sweetie,” Isabel commented in a very gentle tone as she looked down at her sleeping daughter, who was resting in a basinet that was next to the bed. Isabel had been so upset by the news that she had to go lay down. She was resting on top of the black bedspread and her mind was still going a mile-a-minute.

When the new mother had gotten the news, she had been holding Cassandra and trying to put the baby to sleep. Cassandra did not need much help when Isabel laid down. The baby fell asleep instantly, which was why Isabel put the baby in the basinet; apparently, lying on her mother’s chest was as good as a sleeping pill for Cassandra. Now, Isabel was just trying to get her thoughts together.

“Maybe I should just bring the wrath of Hell down onto these fuckers,” Isabel commented to herself, reaching over to cover Cassandra properly with her blanket.

Yeah, it was probably wise to just get the devil herself involved to avoid taking any chances, the raven-haired new mother considered. She refused to risk her daughter, no matter how small the odds were that Jason’s stupid parents might even win. She wondered if he knew anything about that. She supposed that she would ask him when he came home; he was currently at school and in class.

Isabel decided that she was going to wait for Jason to come home and just get his opinion on the matter before she did anything that would probably be considered “drastic” or “overboard.” He was probably going to want to deal with his parents on a personal level before she got all mean and nasty with them. Maybe he could talk some sense into them before she got the devil involved anyway; the devil being her mother.

-8-8-8-8-

Jason made his presence known by allowing the door to slam shut. Cassandra was not quite used to the noise and woke up as Jason could be heard ascending the stairs to their apartment. Isabel reached for the baby as she started crying.

“Why does he keep doing that?” Isabel muttered to herself with a tired sigh as she tried to calm the baby down.

“Hey, how’s my two girls?” Jason inquired as he stepped into the bedroom. He was smiling a little, happy to be home it seemed.

Isabel fought the urge of saying something mean and snippy since he woke Cassandra up. She controlled herself though, by not saying anything at all. She focused on the baby, gently rocking and bouncing her. Jason frowned a bit because his question was ignored.

“Cassie being a good girl?” Jason asked after a few seconds of tense silence.

“Of course,” Isabel answered, not bothering to look at him.

Of course, Jason thought; of course his question about the baby would get an answer. He went and sat down next to Isabel. He looked at their little girl, who was still crying. He did not see how she was being a good girl if she was bawling her eyes out for no apparent reason.

“How long has she been yelling like this?” Jason asked curiously, barely masking the annoyance that he was starting to feel because of all of the pointless hollering.

“Just when you shut the door like you were raised in a barn,” Isabel snapped, frowning in his direction. Hey, he asked and she was going to tell the truth.

Jason frowned a bit too, but he decided to let her little smart-aleck answer go. He was quiet for a while as Isabel tried to get Cassandra to go back to sleep. Once the baby was napping again, Isabel turned to her boyfriend. She wasted no time getting into the subject that haunted her for the day.

“Jason, I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but your parents are really trying to piss me off and it’s working,” Isabel remarked calmly while putting Cassandra back down in the basinet.

“What’re they doing?” Jason asked, his brow furrowing from confusion. He doubted that it was something serious since Isabel hated his parents anyway and had such a short temper, especially when it came to them.

“They’re suing me for the baby,” Isabel answered, a hardness under her usual tone that let him know that she was not kidding.

Jason’s features twisted from utter bewilderment. “Suing you for the baby? Why would they do that?” he asked as if he completely did not understand.

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because they’re bastards,” she stated as if it was obvious, which it was to her.

“Iz, don’t say that about my parents.”

“Then tell your parents to back off. They don’t want to test me this way,” she promised him with a very frightening and grim expression on her face. There was a dark look underneath her emerald eyes; he thought that he might be looking at a demon. He would not be surprised if horns grew out of her head.

It took Jason a few seconds to gather himself to respond. “I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for this,” he argued, or so he hoped. He could not understand why his parents were trying to take their daughter.

“Well, you better find it soon, like right now, and tell them to stop fucking around,” she practically growled, sounding feral.

“Iz, watch your language around the baby,” he said almost automatically.

Isabel was not sure if he was serious or if he was trying to change the subject. It did not matter to her since she planned on talking however the hell she wanted whether the baby was there or not. She also did not want him to try and steer things clear of the fact that she was very close to ruining his parents’ lives if they did not back off.

“Jason, you’ve got one hour to find out what the fuck your lowdown, bitchy parents are up to or this is going to be a hell of a fight that they’re going to fucking wish they didn’t start,” Isabel stated in a low, dangerous tone. Her eyes narrowed as if she was lioness that locked onto her target.

Jason rushed off because of the look in his girlfriend’s eyes. He went upstairs and stepped out onto the balcony to call his folks. Isabel was not interesting in eavesdropping, as his leaving seemed to imply. She did not care what he said to them as long as he got them to do the wise thing and back off.

Jason paced out on the balcony while trying to talk some sense into his parents; his powerful shoulders swaying with every step he took. His argument was quite the opposite of his shoulders. His parents seemed quite intent with their battle, though, not backing down from their plans no matter what their son said. They did not think that Isabel was a suitable mother and they were going to continue suing for custody.

“Jason, it’s all right, son. You know we’ll let you be with your little girl,” his mother assured him.

“That’s not the point!” Jason argued in a desperate tone. He was ready to tear out his hair from his parents’ stubbornness. They did not know how serious the matter was in his opinion, more than likely because they did not see that it was Isabel’s demon talking about keeping Cassandra as he had.

“Son, you know as well as we do that she’s not suitable for taking care of a baby. She doesn’t even have a job,” his father pointed out.

“I’m the man around here. I’ll take care of them,” Jason countered, sounded almost heated in his response. They brought him up to be a man, after all. He was supposed to take care of Isabel and Cassandra. It was not like Isabel was in things alone.

“Son, you’re still in school and you’ve got that to focus on,” Roger replied, remaining calm since he thought that he and his wife were doing the right thing.

“I also have my family to worry about. This is my daughter and my girlfriend we’re talking about. You can’t just take them from me like I’m useless to them,” Jason huffed in anger, a scowl taking over his strong features.

He was starting to get pissed with his parents. They were making it seem like he could not provide for his family. What kind of man did they think he was? He brought Cassandra into the world, so he was going to provide for her. Isabel was keeping him in her life to be with their daughter, so he was going to take care of her.

“We’re just going to take the baby until you finish school, so you don’t have to worry about anything. You’ve got a great future ahead of you and we’re not going to let this slow you down. So, we’ll take care of the baby for you until you’re ready,” Helen said in a gentle tone to ease her son’s tension.

“Mom, you can’t do this. If you take this baby from Iz…” Jason could not even begin to tell them what might happen because he did not know. He just knew that it was not going to be a good thing; the dark look in her eyes told him that much.

“She’s only using the baby against you,” Roger argued. He was certain that Isabel had just had Cassandra to trap his son in a relationship with her forever.

“Dad, I’m serious, you guys need to back off on this one,” Jason practically pled with his parents. His face shifted from angry to nearly sorrowful because he did not think that he was getting through to his parents and he was scared for them.

“Jason, don’t worry about it, sweetie. Everything’ll be fine soon enough,” Helen replied, sounding so certain of that that for a moment her son could not argue.

The conversation went in that roundabout manner for over an hour. Jason was exhausted by the end of the phone call and sighed when his parents hung up, having to get to some prior engagement. His massive shoulders dropped as he flipped his cell phone shut. He stared at his feet for a moment, trying to collect himself because he knew that he was going to have to face Isabel with his less than sparkling news.

“Come on, Jason. You’re going to be scared of your girlfriend?” he asked himself in disbelief. A voice in the back of his mind almost dared to utter the word “yes,” but he willed himself not to admit such a thing. He was the man of the house, after all.

He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. He puffed out his chest, looking as if bullets would bounce off of him. Yes, he was the man of the house, he reminded himself again.

He went back inside and went back downstairs. He stopped at the doorway of the bedroom, catching a glimpse of Isabel with Cassandra. She was feeding the baby and there was a look on her face that was of pure peace. Jason could hardly believe that the woman he was looking at now was the same woman that ordered him to talk to his parents.

Isabel’s eyes looked like they knew the meaning of heaven as she held Cassandra to her. Isabel never thought that she could feel the way that she did just from having a child. It was like everything in her world was all right, but it was also like she was going to make sure that everything in Cassandra’s world was all right too. Not that much could go wrong in Cassandra’s universe at the moment.

The baby seemed content as long as she was fed on time. She hardly cried, especially if she was in her mother’s arm. Sometimes, she gave Isabel a look that Isabel swore said “you’re the greatest, Mommy.”

Isabel took notice of Jason after he was in the doorway for about a minute. She only glanced at him, which he noticed. He huffed slightly; typically, she would have noticed him much sooner and he was sure that in the past she would have offered him more than a passing glance.

Since he was spotted, Jason decided to go into the room. He sat down in a nearby chair instead of on the bed as Isabel had a “thing” about people sitting on the bed in street clothes, even if the spread was covering the bed. He did not speak and did not look over at his ladies either.

Isabel knew what her boyfriend’s silence met. Fine, his parents want to raise Hell? Little did they know, Hell was where she came from. She would take care of everything.

“You’re a greedy little thing, aren’t you, Cassandra?” Isabel cooed down to the baby.

Cassandra seemed to acknowledge the question by looking up at her mother. She then seemed to answer the question by going back to what she was doing. Isabel smiled softly; it would have been very hard to believe that she was plotting some very devious things while she was wearing such a joyous, peaceful expression.

“Um…you want me to go out and pick up dinner?” Jason offered after a long silence between them.

“No, I think I’ll cook tonight. We’ve got enough in the fridge for me to make something that looks like a meal,” Isabel remarked, her usual humor absent from her tone. It was just something that would take her mind off of things for a moment.

Isabel went to go make something to eat as Cassandra fell back to sleep. While in the kitchen, she did not have to look at Jason’s face and think of how he failed them and their daughter. Well, she just learned not to leave important matters to him.

They had a quiet dinner together and then Jason went to watch some sports. Isabel went to check on Cassandra, who was sleeping in her room. Isabel smiled as she looked down at the baby, who had rolled over onto her stomach. For the past few days, it never failed for Isabel to lie the baby on her back and Cassandra would end up on her stomach.

“They’re got to be out of their fucking minds,” Isabel concluded. It was the only explanation that she could think of as to why the Goodings would try to take her daughter from her.

Isabel leaned down and kissed Cassandra’s cheek. She then stepped out of the room. She grabbed the phone, dialing a number as she began to pace her bedroom. Kat’s voice picked up on the other line, greeting her big sister warmly.

“Hey, Kat. Put Mommy on the phone,” Isabel commanded. Kat gasped, knowing that it was never a good thing for her big sister to bypass her and want to talk directly to their mother.

-8-8-8-8-

Isabella hung up the phone with her eldest daughter and began making calls of her own. Kat was left curious as to what was going on since Isabel had not spoken to her at all and their mother looked like she might be planning to cause the second flood if she could. She decided that she was going to have to brave being eaten alive for getting into her mother’s business to find out.

“Mommy,” Kat practically sang as she came to stand in front of her mother. She was looking about a humble as a newborn puppy and just as non-threatening. Hey, it was dangerous business asking her mother what she was doing.

“Not now, Kat,” Isabella replied in a rather gruff tone, dismissing her daughter with a rough wave of her hand.

“I was just—” the teenager tried to explain, but she did not get that chance. She was quickly cut off.

“I said not now,” Isabella snarled, her light sapphire eyes seeming to burn with the flames of the Underworld.

Kat yelped and scurried off, taking sanctuary in the living room, behind the sofa. She peeked up from the couch back, watching her mother carefully. She could barely make out what was going on over the phone, but it did not sound good. She wondered if it had anything to do with Isabel. She guessed that if she wanted any answers, she was going to have to ask her big sister. She stepped outside to make that call.

“Hey, Iz,” Kat greeted her sister in her usual, happy tone.

“What’s up, Kat?” Isabel asked as if she did not know.

“Um…how are you?” Kat inquired as if that was why she called. She could not just come right out and ask her big sister what was going on. Isabel would pull that “you shouldn’t question your big sister” crap on her, after all.

“No, Kat, I won’t tell you what’s going on,” Isabel answered. After all, her sister would blame Jason and then come over to the apartment to pummel him, as if that would solve anything.

“Damn it! Why the hell don’t you two ever tell me anything!” Kat whined into the phone, shaking her fist to the warm air outside. A few kids rode passed the house on their bikes and looked at her as if she was weird.

“Because you shouldn’t bother with it,” Isabel replied dismissively, as if her sister would accept that.

“You guys act like I’m a fucking kid,” Kat huffed, going so far as to puff out her cheeks, even though her sister could not see. She felt like when she was left out of things, it was because her mother and sister were trying to protect her. Well, she could handle herself. She was a Han just like they were, meaning that she was just as capable as they were in her opinion.

Isabel smiled a bit. “You know how it is, Kat. Put it out of your head, as it’s nothing to worry about,” she tried to assure her little sister. She believed her words to be the truth. There was nothing to worry about.

Kat sighed. “You’re not gonna tell me at all, are you?”

“Nope.”

“Bitch,” Kat grumbled, almost like she meant it.

Isabel smiled again. “Just remember I’m number one,” she remarked.

“Tell that to your mother.”

Isabel could not argue that one. They ended their conversation since Kat knew that Isabel was not going to tell her what was going on. Kat hated being the youngest.

Isabel sighed and settled back into her routine now that those things were out of the way. She did stay up late that night, lying next to Jason seemed to keep sleep from her. The same could be said of him since he had not told her what happened with his parents. He figured that he really needed to tell her.

“My parents…they’re going forward with this thing,” Jason reported in a low tone.

“They’re free to try,” Isabel replied in a neutral tone. She even shrugged. They could go ahead and try, but they were about to run into one hell of a roadblock.

Jason was confused by that answer and his face scrunched up because of it. He turned on his side to look at Isabel, as if her shadowed face would give him answers to a question that he did not want to ask. She turned to look at him and smiled. The expression caused him to swallow hard.

Isabel looked as if she should have fangs in her mouth and horns poking out of her head. The air around her seemed to get heavier when she smiled at Jason. He was surprised that he was not instantly crushed by the vibe that she was giving off.

“Dearest, I’m not going to lose my little gift from the heavens,” Isabel commented in a low tone. She sounded so fierce, even though her voice seemed normal. Her face was calm, yet just underneath that calm, there was a demon flaring its aura, which he felt.

“Iz…what’re you going to do?” he asked in a shaky tone. His eyebrows curled upward and his eyes were slightly wide, as if he was near tears.

“They started this bullshit,” she replied as if that answered his question.

Jason had to fight off the urge to gulp. “Iz, remember, they’re Cassie’s grandparents.”

The tall martial artist laughed a bit. Yes, they were Cassandra’s grandparents, but she was Cassandra’s mother. They were the ones that started things, as she said. Well, now she was going to finish them. The Goodings thought that just because they had money and some influence they could push her around and abuse their power to try to take her baby. Oh, hell no.

“Iz…” Jason said again.

“Dearest, don’t ask things of me that you know I won’t deliver. At the moment, you know what’s going through my head. All I’m thinking right now beyond keeping my baby is fuck your fucking parents,” she informed him and she was right because he knew that.

Jason decided to stop arguing with Isabel. What had his parents done? They awakened some beast in Isabel that he never witnessed before. Yes, he was used to the hard-shelled, foul-mouthed, tough girl, but there was more to her than that now. There was a darkness in her eyes and in her voice. It actually frightened him and kept him awake that night.

Isabel did not sleep either, even though she was quite certain that things were going to work in her favor. Her mother would never fail, after all. Her mother damn sure would not fail Cassandra. Still, Isabel doubted that she would sleep until she could put it all behind her.

-8-8-8-8-

Jason decided to go to his parents’ house after class. He wanted to plead with them in person to let go of the law suit. He figured that doing it in person might help, so they would be able to see his face and understand just how dire he believed the situation to be. Even though he showed up, looking just as desperate as he felt, his parents still did not take him seriously.

While Jason was with his parents, her mother and sister visited Isabel. They wanted to see Cassandra. Isabel knew that she was secondary to them, even to her personal fan club, namely Kat.

“Mommy, lemme hold her!” Kat whined, following her mother around the living room.

“I’m holding her now,” Isabella pointed out, rocking Cassandra slightly. She was earning a curious look from the baby. The expression seemed to say, “hmm…I know you’re not my mommy, even though you’re wearing her face.”

“You’ve been holding her for like fucking ever!” Kat practically cried.

“And I’ll continue to do so,” Isabella replied coolly.

Cassandra seemed to object to that because she started crying. Isabella knew that the sound meant that she needed to hand the baby back to the new mother. Isabel seemed to come out of nowhere to take Cassandra, who was immediately silenced by being fed.

Isabella sat down on the sofa, followed by Kat. Kat turned on the television to veg out while Isabella watched her eldest with the baby. To think, her fierce lioness could be made to look like a pampered housecat just from a baby, Isabella thought with a small smile.

“And those bitches think she’s going to let them have her baby?” Isabella wondered in disbelief. She could not imagine what the hell the Goodings were smoking to assume they would be able to get Cassandra from Isabel without killing her and chopping her arms off to get her to let the baby go.

Once Cassandra was full and content, Isabella took the baby back. Kat pitched a fit, throwing a tantrum right on the floor. Isabel sighed and watched her sister banging her fists on the floor.

“And she wonders why we still treat her like a kid,” Isabel muttered, smiling a bit despite her thoughts.

“Mommy, this isn’t fucking fair!” Kat cried from her space on the floor. She wanted to hold her niece.

Isabella ignored her youngest, focusing on her granddaughter instead. She smiled a bit as Cassandra yawned, putting her little fist to her mouth as if she knew it was proper manners to do so. Cassandra’s eyes closed and she would have fallen asleep if only the front door was not slammed. The baby began wailing.

“What the hell is that?” Kat inquired, referring to the noise.

Isabella could guess and she frowned as the answer appeared, Jason. She learned from the sight of him that her feelings of loathing had actually expanded. Such a pompous jackass, she thought. He did not deserve her daughter, unable or unwilling to fight for her and Cassandra. It was a good thing that Isabel was so capable, she thought.

Jason looked shocked when he saw Kat and Isabella in the apartment. They only looked at him for a moment before their attention went to soothing Cassandra; they did not even bother with glaring at him because they did not feel the need to waste the energy doing that much. Isabella rocked the child while Kat came over her mother’s shoulder to show the baby a toy that rattled.

Jason could not believe their behavior with the baby; they were just as batty as Isabel, he thought. He could not figure out how a baby could make such strange women act even weirder than usual. He could not figure out why they were so ga-ga over the kid; sure, he loved his daughter and all, but nothing about her would make him act so weird.

“C’mon, Cassie, calm down for Auntie Kat,” the blonde pled with her little niece while making the toy dance in front of the baby’s face.

“I get the feeling this is a job for her mom,” Isabella commented, her general neutral expression in place as always.

“Probably. She’s such a momma’s girl,” Kat huffed, folding her arms across her chest and frowning.

Isabella handed Cassandra back to Isabel. The baby began to calm down when she was secure in her mother’s arms, pressed against very familiar warmth. She got in a few more wails before yawning and closing her eyes. Isabel held onto her for a little while longer since her mother did not come back for the child.

Isabella turned her attention to Jason, who was sort of cemented in place. A part of his brain was telling him to pretend that he needed to go back outside for something while another part of his brain was insisting that he assert his alpha male status; he was the man of the house, after all. He listened to the latter voice and walked deeper into the den of lionesses. He sat down on the sofa and turned the channel on the television.

Kat glared at the male since she had been watching television once upon a time. He could feel the stare as if it was burning a hole in his side, but he chose to ignore it; the intensity of the little sister’s stare was almost as bad as the big sister, he thought. Isabella noted his discomfort and decided to work on that.

Isabella smirked. “Izzie, why don’t you go put Cassie down in her crib,” she suggested.

Isabel looked up and noticed her mother’s expression. She muttered a “yes, ma’am” and got up. She trotted over to the stairs, grabbing Kat with one hand as she did so. Kat made a yelp noise from being tugged.

“The hell are you doing?” the younger sister demanded to know.

“Shut the hell up and come the hell on,” Isabel replied while taking her sister down the stairs with her.

Isabella turned her attention to Jason, an air of demonic power seeming to take over her. She went and stood in front of the television, blocking his view. He did not get a chance to complain because she hit the “power” button to turn it off. She then glared at him as if she was trying to burn a hole in his soul. Forget his flesh; the flesh healed. It was the spirit that she liked to break.

“What?” he huffed, trying once again to assert his dominance. He met her glare with a scowl, even though his heart was beating much faster than usual. His stomach felt like it was turning back flips thanks to the look in her eyes.

“Don’t take that tune with me if you don’t want to wake up in a hospital four days from now. Izzie’ll get along just fine without you. Now, what the fuck is wrong with your dumb-ass parents? Do they want Izzie to reduce them to tears before they grow some fucking brains?” she demanded to know. She was a bit shocked that her daughter had not even tried to hurt them yet because she knew that Isabel was quite capable of reaching out and touching the Goodings without having to leave the comfort of her bed.

“What’re you talking about?” he countered in a heated tone that was more forced than anything else. She could see him shaking in those deep blue eyes; he quivered like a lone leaf in a hurricane.

“Don’t act like you don’t know and I know you’re not with them because you probably don’t give enough of a damn about Cassie to want her for yourself. Now, I don’t care how much money and whatever else your parents have, they’re not getting Cassie. No judge is just going to give a baby to her grandparents when her mother wants her, but this is pissing me off for the simple fact that it’s bothered Izzie. Now, what the hell is wrong with them?” Isabella growled like an angered wolf.

She could guess how disturbed her daughter was with what the Goodings were trying, even though they knew that there was a very slim chance that they would get their way. The fact that they would even try got Isabel so flustered that she bypassed any of her usual methods of going after someone and went right to her mother. For Isabella, that was equal to her daughter pulling out a gun and shooting the Goodings in their faces. She was going to make that pain go away as soon as possible because Isabel needed to just focus on her daughter, not worry about the Goodings being jerks.

“Look, I talked to them,” Jason said in his defense.

“And?” Isabella snarled. Did he want a fucking cookie for talking to them?

“I’ll talk to them a little bit more and get through to them,” he said nonchalantly, having the nerve to wave her off.

Isabella nodded and moved out of his way. She knew that any more interacting with him would only lead to her fist in his eye. She went downstairs to the baby’s room, where her daughters were watching Cassandra sleep. She decided that she would get to work after her visit was over.

-8-8-8-8-

In the morning, Isabel was feeding Cassandra when the phone rang. She called for Jason to get it since he was home. He picked himself up off the couch and answered the phone. He made a curious face as he put the phone to Isabel’s ear.

“Who is it?” she mouthed because of his face.

“My parents,” he replied in a puzzled tone.

Isabel made a face of her own. “What?” she said with a heavy attitude. If she could have done them in with that one word, she damn sure would have.

She did not say another word as the conversation went on. Jason remained holding the phone to her ear while noting the neutral expression painting her face. His heart began to freeze though as a creepy, almost demonic smirk slowly spread across her features. By the time she pulled away, signaling that the call was over, she looked like the devil.

“Wha-what happened?” he inquired in a shaky tone.

“They sincerely apologized for trying to take Cassandra and swear that they’ll never try something so cruel again,” Isabel answered as if it was nothing. She then turned her attention back down to her daughter. She bet that they would never try something that stupid again.

“I knew they’d come around,” he said with a small smile of his own. She laughed a little bit; she knew they would, too.

-8-8-8-8-

“There. It’s done,” Roger said to the intruder in his and his wife’s lives while Helen hung up the phone. They both frowned at their uninvited guest and glared daggers at her, but that did not seem to faze her at all.

“I suppose it is. You kept your end of the bargain and I’ll keep mine,” Isabella replied with her arms folded across her chest. She then left as suddenly as she had entered their home. They breathed sighs of relief as soon as she was gone.

She had broken into their house when they were trying to get a lot of affairs in order after finding out money was missing from their bank accounts. They were also trying to figure out why the house was so cold and the water was not working. The name Isabella popped up a few times before she made her presence known to them. She had no idea that she watched them panic the whole morning.

She had explained the situation to them and at first, they doubted her word. She allowed them a few more phone calls to discover on their own she was the one that was only beginning to fill their lives with misery and woe. Once they realized she was telling the truth, they wanted to know what she wanted from them of course. She had not desired much, merely an apology to her daughter and the law suit dropped or things would get worse for them. They gave in after she informed them just how worse things could get and one phone call proved her words to be valid.

Isabella was now smiling like the devil many people thought she was. She was making a few calls to get the Goodings bank accounts back in order now that they had done the wise thing of calling her daughter and apologizing for being jackasses. After that, she would work on getting their heat, water, and lights turned back on. If they were really good, she might even get their cars returned to them…if she felt like anyway. Well, they kept their word and she would eventually keep hers; she taught her daughters to keep their words, after all.

Isabella thought that it was too easy to get to people whose most precious items were material goods. Taking those things presented almost no challenge at all, especially if it was to save her daughter some serious grief. Adding her granddaughter to the mix, Isabella would have easily called forth all the powers of Hell on the Goodings if she needed to.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Trouble in paradise between Isabel and Jason over football, believe it or not. Football will turn into the least of their worries, though.

 


	10. Time in Hell

Chapter 10: Time in Hell

“Iz, are you coming to my game or what?” Jason inquired with quite the attitude. There was a hard expression in his deep blue eyes and his jaw was tense to the point that it would not be a surprise if he cracked his teeth from the pressure. He was standing in the doorway of their bedroom, leaning his massive right shoulder against the frame. His arms were folded tightly against his chest.

Isabel was sitting on the bed with Cassandra. The baby was focusing on trying to grab onto a little plush toy that Isabel was holding just out of her reach. True to her legacy, Cassandra looked utterly frustrated, but was not crying at all. She was making quite a few noises while trying her best to grab the damn toy. She was probably cursing her mother out mentally if her expression was any indication of what was going through her mind.

“It’s too cold,” Isabel replied in a normal, almost bland tone. She did not bother to look at her boyfriend, keeping her eyes on her child and continuing to tempt the baby with the toy.

Jason balked, looking as if he did not comprehend that response. “What do you mean it’s too cold? You’ve been out in colder weather for my games,” he pointed out, moving a hand to motion to her. His arms quickly resumed their position of being bent against his chest.

“I’m not taking Cass out in that fucking weather,” she countered, still speaking in an even tone.

“Stop cursing so much in front of the baby. Get your sister to babysit,” he said, sounding as if he was making an order rather than a suggestion.

“No,” she objected quite bluntly. She wanted to stay with Cassandra for the day.

“Why not? You act like she’d care. I’m sure she’d love to see the baby,” he pointed out logically, or what he felt was logically anyway. His eyes were shifting from hard to near confused. Why was Isabel making things so difficult?

“So would I.”

“You haven’t seen any of my games at all this season,” he argued, his voice close to implying that he would be spitting fire if he could. His eyes blazed now, anger igniting in his gaze.

Isabel shrugged, not seeing the big deal, even though she could tell from his tone that he would like it to be a big deal. So, she had not been to any of his games, she scoffed in her head. She had a little daughter to look after. She liked being around Cassandra and from what she could tell, the baby liked the company, even when she was being teased.

“Why can’t you just come?” he huffed, stomping his naked foot on the cool wooden floor. Not much noise echoed through the room and his tantrum did not earn him even a sideways glance from his girlfriend.

“Because I have to watch the damn baby,” she stated firmly while letting Cassandra have the toy. Cassandra’s face light up as if her mother just handed her a precious gem. The expression lasted for a moment and then the child attempted to shove the whole toy in her mouth. Of course, she did not succeed, but she kept trying.

Jason frowned and stormed out of the room, elbowing the door frame on his way out; a loud bang bounced off of the walls. Isabel spared him a simple glance now, but that was all. He could have his little pissy attitude, she thought while turning her attention back to Cassandra. The baby was cooing merrily while gumming the toy. Isabel smiled and reached down to caress her child’s cheek.

“Who’s a cute baby?” Isabel cooed while tickling Cassandra’s neck. She did not move when she heard the front door slam loudly. “Your Daddy’s getting on my fucking nerves,” she commented with a good-natured smile.

Jason had been whining about his games since the football season started a couple of months ago. He wanted her to go to his games like she used to do in the past…back when she did not have a baby. She tuned him out most of the time when he started going on about how she did not go to his games anymore. She had to put up with it at his next game too. He was like a broken record.

-8-8-8-8-

“Iz, will you just come to this one game before the season is over?” Jason huffed while pacing the front of the bedroom. Once again, there was a hard expression in his eyes and his face was tense from his frustration. His steps were powerful, sending shockwaves out across the floor as if he was a giant traversing the room.

“I’m with the damn baby,” she practically growled, cutting a glance at him as if she was trying to strike him down with her gaze. She was lounging on the bed with Cassandra, who was sleeping on her chest. Her back was against the pillows and Cassandra’s thumb was in her mouth, which Isabel quickly removed. Not to be thwarted, the child put the thumb back without waking up.

Jason threw his hands up as if he was trying to touch the ceiling. “Let your sister watch the baby!” he barked as loudly as his vocal cords would allow. He turned to scowl at her, his eyes seeming to let loose ice shards at her, but she was not paying him enough attention to notice the look.

“Watch your fucking tone while she’s sleeping,” Isabel countered with steel in her tone while glancing down at the baby to make sure that she was still sleep. Cassandra was quite peaceful, drooling on her mother’s chest and sucking her thumb again.

“Watch your language,” he retorted, his voice just as hard as hers. “Now, just let your sister watch the baby and come to my game,” he seemed to order yet again.

“Stop being such a fucking pussy,” she said quite harshly.

Jason actually looked taken aback by her statement; despite all of the things that she allowed to leave her mouth, she had never said such a thing to him before. He really had no idea how annoyed she was with him and his constant whining about his games. The world did not revolve around him, she declared mentally, and she planned to tell him to his face if he kept things up.

Jason did not understand why she could not get off her ass and leave the baby for a few hours. She did not need to be around the baby every minute of the day. He was willing to bet that her mother had not been that way with her, so she did not need to be that way with Cassandra.

“Iz…” he growled, almost as if he was going to tell her off. The piece of her name that he uttered seemed to come out like an attack dog’s warning of impending doom. He clenched his fists together while he halted his movements and faced her.

“Oh, you’re putting on your ‘bad boy voice.’ How scary,” she mocked him, making a face while speaking. She had come to recognize his “alpha male” tone and he had no idea how often she wanted to just laugh in his face when he used it.

“You coming or not?” he huffed, turning his nose up at her while going back to his pacing.

“I’m staying with the baby,” she stated once again. Her words were plain, but clearly set in stone.

Jason stalked out of the room, as he did every time he had a game. Isabel rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her baby. She wrapped her arms around Cassandra, careful not to wake the child, but making sure to take the wayward thumb out of the baby’s mouth. She definitely preferred being with Cassandra than going to a sporting event that she still did not even know the rules of.

“I can’t wait for football season to be over,” Isabel muttered to the air while cutting her eyes to the space that Jason was in not too long ago.

She did not know that her wish was going to come true that very day as Jason’s football season was going to be over. She got a phone call some hours later, finding out that Jason was in the hospital. She got Cassandra together and took a cab to the hospital to see what happened to Jason.

“Dearest,” Isabel said in a breath as she went into the bland hospital room. She found that his parents had made it there before her, but she ignored them.

“I knew you’d come,” Jason said with a smile from his bed. His parents had been insisting that Isabel was not going to show up right up until the moment that she walked into the room.

“What happened, dear?” Isabel inquired with some concern in her voice. She rushed to his side, going to the opposite side of the bed as his parents; they were sitting in the only two chairs in the single bed room. Isabel did not seem to mind standing because she did not even look around for a seat.

“I don’t know,” he admitted in a low, almost ashamed tone. He looked away for a long moment and scratched the top of his forehead.

Isabel would later learn from some of his teammates that Jason has been hit so hard that he lost consciousness in the game. He had planted his leg awkwardly after the hit and a few of his opponents had fallen on him afterwards, making matters worse. He had also been hit so hard that he broke his leg and got his knee knocked out of joint. Those were things that he did not want to hear and then his doctor hit him with some of the worst news by telling him that he might never play football again.

“Don’t believe him, dearest,” Isabel said with surprising encouragement when the doctor finished with his abysmal prediction. She caressed Jason’s scalp with surprisingly tender fingers and gently kissed his forehead.

Jason smiled a bit because of her actions; he was glad for both the encouragement and the attention. He did not know why she was speaking as she was or touching him as she was, but he was not going to knock it. He did know that she made him feel like he would definitely play again.

“I’ll be out there next season if you’ll be at the games,” Jason said Isabel, some hope in his eyes and voice. He was trying to control himself because he did not want to come off as too eager.

She smiled slightly. “Sounds good,” she replied.

It would seem that the couple had a promise. Jason took her hand in his; she did not object, even though she had to shift her grip on Cassandra. He gave her hand a tight squeeze and she returned it. He could not help smiling widely.

Jason’s parents frowned at the sight of the couple actually getting along. They glared daggers at Isabel, who was not paying them any mind. It was as if they were trying to murder the street fighter with their eyes.

If Isabel was going to behave like as she was, being warm, considerate, and even caring, then the Goodings knew that their son would never leave her in their opinion. The idea turned their stomachs to the point where they both felt as if they might throw up right then and there. It was bad enough that she had his baby, but now they had to watch her actually being a decent girlfriend. They would not have to see it for long.

-8-8-8-8-

Jason required surgery on his injured knee, but when that was done with, he was allowed to go home. He went with Isabel, even though his parents were trying to get him to go with them. Isabel watched them as they blatantly and loudly listed the reasons why he should not go home with her. They went from the fact that she was not reliable to suggesting that she might actually get arrested at some point. How they figured she might get arrested, she would never know. Either way, Jason left with her.

“Dearest, are you all right with getting up the stairs?” Isabel asked as they came in the front door. It was just her and Jason; Cassandra was left at home.

“I should be able to manage,” he lied. His leg was in a cast and he was supposed to stay off of it.

Isabel was going to leave him to let him learn a lesson in not acting macho, but she supposed that would just be cruel for no reason. Instead, she leaned him her shoulder and carefully helped him up the stairs. It was quite the trial for her despite the fact that she was rather powerful. It was just that Jason weighed as much as two of her and she could not quite balance his weight, but they made it to the bedroom.

“Can I get you anything?” Isabel asked curiously as Jason sat down on the bed.

Jason was slightly shocked by the question and it flashed in his eyes for a moment. He then managed to hide his surprise. He composed himself before answering her.

“No, I’m good for now,” he replied.

“Okay, well, let me go get the baby,” she said, turning to leave the room.

“Why don’t you stay here for a while?” he suggested, grabbing her hand before she managed to get away.

“Ellie might want to get going,” she argued, gently pulling away from him. She was gone before he could say anything else.

Isabel exited the room and went upstairs where Ellie was babysitting. The shorter female had Cassandra on her shoulder and seemed to be trying to burp the baby. Isabel just stood back until Ellie was done. It only took a few seconds before Ellie got the desired effect from the child.

“How was she?” Isabel asked as she stepped over to her brown-haired friend.

“She was perfect,” Ellie replied, biting back a smile. “She just mostly eats,” she added with a bit of a laugh. She could not hold that one in, but she supposed that it was all right since Cassandra was still quite adorable.

“Yeah, she’s a greedy one. I left you with enough bottles, right?” the taller woman inquired, glancing toward the kitchen.

“Iz, you left enough bottles for me to stay here with her for the next couple of years,” Ellie remarked, her eyes drifting in the same direction as her friend’s for a moment, but then she turned her attention back to the baby in her arms.

“I was just being cautious. Better too many than not enough,” Isabel pointed out, motioning to her friend with a sweeping movement of her hand.

Ellie conceded that point. She handed Cassandra over to Isabel, but stuck around for a little while. She stayed in the apartment because she knew that Jason could not move around the apartment freely and she did not have to put up with his mouth. She figured that she needed to make the most of that; she often hated that she suggested Isabel actually live with him. Visiting her best friend and Cassandra was such a pain when Jason was around.

“You want me to cook since I’m here?” Ellie offered, going into the kitchen and looking in the refrigerator.

“I don’t know if there’s anything in here to make,” Isabel admitted with a bit of a laugh as she rubbed Cassandra’s back, trying to put the child to sleep now.

“You’re slipping now that you’ve become a mother,” the shorter woman teased as she shut the door to the fridge, already knowing that there was not anything in there to make a meal.

“Well, usually I would’ve gone out shopping a couple of days ago, but I don’t want to take Cassandra out in the cold weather,” Isabel explained.

Ellie nodded, showing that she understood that. “Why not send your ape?”

“He was in the hospital,” Isabel reminded her friend.

“Well, he’s not there now. He needs to start pulling his weight.”

Isabel waved her friend off, knowing that Ellie was having fun at Jason’s expense. Ellie really was not so much as having fun at his expense as speaking what she felt was the truth. Jason rarely brought food home and she knew that he never went shopping; he only came in with fast food if he brought something in. Pathetic, she stated bitterly in her mind.

Ellie started going through the cabinets in the kitchen. She was attempting to locate anything that she could throw together since she was there. She wanted to help out since Isabel had her hands full with the baby.

The two friends hung out while Ellie found a few items that could make a meal; they chatted about pointless matters while she cooked. Isabel left the baby with Ellie for a minute or so when the food was done. She took a plate and something to drink down to Jason, who appeared quite sour. Scowling as if the world had done him a great wrong and his eyebrows bent downward as if they were trying to touch his nose.

“What’s with that face, dearest?” Isabel asked curiously as she set up a tray for him, pulling out the short legs and resting the tray on the bed.

Jason did not respond right away, but did make his problem known in a rather bitter tone. “I’ve been waiting for you to come back. I mean, it’s not like I can move around much and I might need something.”

Isabel chuckled a bit. “Dearest, if you need something, all you have to do is yell. I’m right upstairs, not in the next state.”

Jason frowned deeper, but Isabel ignored him. Her instincts were telling her that Jason’s injury was about to make him more annoying than ever. Boy, was she right. Jason the invalid was just about the most irksome creature on the planet in her opinion.

-8-8-8-8-

“Iz!” Jason called loudly. He was laid up in the bed, magazines occupying the side that Isabel slept on. His leg was propped up on a pillow. There were also junk food wrappers scattered about the bed despite the fact that there was a small wastebasket by the edge of the bed.

Isabel was Cassandra’s room, feeding the baby. She ignored him for the moment, but he kept yelling. She frowned, but did not get up until she was done with the baby. She then put Cassandra down in her crib and went to her bedroom.

“What, goddamn it?” Isabel huffed. “What?” Her face was tight with annoyance. On the way to the room, she considered finding something that she would not mind breaking, so that she could throw it at him.

“Why’d it take you so long?” he demanded to know, cutting his eyes to her as if she had done something dishonorable to him.

“I had to feed the baby,” she pointed out impatiently, folding her arms across her stomach and cocking her hip out to the right. Her stance was as tense as her face and there was an aura coming off of her as if she was stick of dynamite with a lit fuse that was getting shorter by the millisecond.

Jason scoffed and turned his head for a moment. “Can you bring me the newspaper so I can see if my teams won?”

Isabel scowled and refrained from informing him that she would feed him the damn paper. She went upstairs where she had put the paper down when it came earlier. She flung the paper at him when she returned, earning another glare from him that she returned with one of her own.

“Why are you throwing things like that?” he huffed while trying to straighten out the paper, which now had sections loose on parts of the bed and nearby on the floor.

“Just be happy I got it for you,” she countered while exiting the room.

Isabel retreated to the baby’s room, where she had been spending the past few days. She just waited for Cassandra to wake up and then she spent her time with the baby. Jason started calling for her again while she was reading a kiddie story to Cassandra. Isabel frowned as she heard his voice booming through the apartment like he was on a megaphone.

“Mommy’s going to kill Daddy very soon, precious,” Isabel practically sang to the baby as she stood up to go see what had Jason screaming bloody murder now. “Yes, Jason?” she inquired. She was still holding Cassandra because the baby eased her irritation more often than not.

“What’s going on with lunch?” he demanded to know.

“Good question,” she replied in an almost light tone. She had not been out shopping in days and mostly improvised meals since she knew that she had to eat regularly if she wanted to continue to be able to feed the baby. Between Cassandra and Jason, she was not sure what might happen if she left the apartment. She allowed a little fantasy to play in her mind of Cassandra strangling Jason while she was out.

“What do you mean ‘good question’? I’m hungry,” he stated as if that meant food should be presented to him at that very moment.

“I never would’ve guessed,” she said dryly, rolling her eyes.

“So, what’re we eating?” he demanded to know once again.

“Give me a moment,” she replied and walked off. She went upstairs with the baby in her hand. “Want to see Auntie Kat, precious?” she asked Cassandra, smiling as she spoke.

The baby did not respond, as expected; she looked as if she was ready to take a nap. Isabel got on the phone and called her sister. Kat popped up about a half-hour later with groceries in her arms and a smile on her face. Isabel took the groceries and allowed Kat to take the baby.

“Hey there, little Cass,” Kat cooed while holding the baby out in front of her. “You missed your Auntie Kat, didn’t you? Didn’t you?”

Cassandra gave her aunt an odd look, which made Kat laugh. Cassandra was an expressive child as far as her aunt, grandmother, and mother were concerned. To Kat, most of her expressions seemed to show just who her mother was because often she seemed to be looking as if asking what the hell was wrong with someone.

“Little Izzie,” Kat whispered to Cassandra, earning a not-too-surprising glare for the child. Kat laughed again.

Isabel made some lunch while her sister was occupied with Cassandra. Everything was running smooth until Jason started yelling for Isabel. Kat stopped what she was doing to look at her sister; the expression in her eyes made it seem as if aliens just appeared in the apartment.

“What the hell is his problem?” Kat inquired, an eyebrow arched in curiosity. Surely he was not screaming for her big sister like that. She was the only allowed that privilege, in her opinion anyway.

“He’s being a big pain-in-the-ass,” Isabel replied with a sigh, keeping her attention on the food rather than giving into the urge of going downstairs and shoving a pillow in her boyfriend’s mouth.

“Ay, shut the hell up down there!” Kat hollered down to the bed-ridden fellow.

“Hey, don’t yell in my house!” Jason countered.

“His house? Since when?’ the sisters asked each other with confused looks in their eyes. Cassandra glanced back and forth between her aunt and mother, as if she wanted to know what was going on.

“I thought this was your place,” Kat said to her sister, looking to start trouble now. She had a mischievous smirk on her face and a devilish glint her sapphire eyes.

“I thought so too. I do recall paying the damn rent on this thing,” Isabel stated, face growing tense and her mouth turned down into a frown. It would seem that Jason wanted her to go down there and use his pillows in places the manufacture never intended.

Kat could tell that Jason was tapping dancing all over Isabel’s last nerve just from the way that Isabel walked off. She went downstairs to her boyfriend, lunch in hand and a scowl on her face. If she could throw the sandwich that she made in his face and not mess up the bedspread, she would have.

“Now, what the fuck do you want from me?” Isabel inquired with a sigh as she placed the tray down in front of him.

“I just wanted to know when the food was coming. What’s your sister doing here?” he countered, turning his attention to the food.

Isabel’s frown deepened. She was not used to answering to anyone and really did not desire to start now. Her fist clenched and trembled. She bit into her lip, counted to ten slowly in her head, but her fist remained.

“Playing with Cass. You got a problem with that?” she countered, figuring that talking might keep her from hitting him.

“You should’ve told me she was coming over,” he said.

“And why the hell would I do that? This is my apartment. I’ll have over whoever I’ll feel like it and she’s my sister anyway,” she replied quite dismissively, brushing him off with a wave of her hand.

“Well, I live here too and it’s inconsiderate of you to just have people over.”

“You mean people you’re not even going to see? You’re stuck in the room, so don’t worry about who’s upstairs. Eat your lunch,” she replied and then she walked off to avoid having any more of an argument. She shut the bedroom door on her way out.

“Iz!” he shouted, but he did not get a response.

Isabel went back upstairs, looking to finish making dinner, which was what she was cooking. She was also eating while moving about the kitchen. Kat brought in a lot of food for her sister to snack on, which she saw was a good move.

Kat stayed at the house for a few hours, playing with Cassandra on and off since the baby had a habit of falling asleep almost every hour. She did not stay knocked out long and Kat would go back to playing. As she was about to leave, she returned Cassandra to Isabel, having to wake her big sister up to do so.

“You leaving?” Isabel asked curiously as she took the baby. She rested Cassandra on her chest as she remained lying down on the couch.

“Yeah, I’ve got a couple of dates tonight,” Kat answered with a bright, almost proud smile.

“Don’t get into too much trouble,” Isabel remarked, a teasing smile playing on her lips for a second.

“I will,” Kat promised with a smile of her own and then she headed for the door.

Isabel sighed, sad to see her sister go. She was glad for the little nap that she was getting a chance to take. Ever since Cassandra was born, her sleep pattern depended on the baby and Cassandra was not interested in sleeping anywhere near the six straight hours Isabel was used to. Two hours were actually a lot to ask for when it came to Cassandra.

“Well, baby, I guess it’s just you and me again,” Isabel commented and then the other occupant of the house reminded her of his existence.

“Iz!” Jason called as loudly as he could, his voice boomed like thunder through out the apartment.

“And your Daddy,” she sighed and went to go see what he wanted. She was often surprised that their neighbors did not complain about his big mouth.

Jason started carping about a cold breeze coming in through one of the windows as soon as his girlfriend stepped into the room. Isabel checked all of the windows and found them to be closed tight. He was not buying that, though.

“There’s a chill in here,” he huffed, arms folded across his chest as if that made his statement completely true.

“I’ve checked. The windows are closed,” she insisted, motioning to the windows in the room with her hand.

“It’s cold.”

“Then put a fucking blanket over you,” she pointed out through gritted teeth and narrowed eyes. God, he broke his damn leg, not his whole body. There were two blankets on the bed that he could easily put on himself. What the fuck was the problem?

Jason frowned, but took her up on that suggestion. He was about to ask her something else when Cassandra started crying. Isabel turned her attention to the baby and began bouncing her lightly in her arms. Cassandra quieted down fairly quickly.

“Iz, are you going to bring me dinner or what?” he inquired in a gruff tone.

“I’ve got to feed Cassandra first,” she answered, focusing on the baby to avoid getting any more pissed than she was now.

“I’m hungry now, though,” he said. She was a terrible nurse in his opinion.

“And?” she asked with a shrug as she walked out of the room and went to go back care of Cassandra.

Jason huffed and scowled again. The struggle continued between the lovers. Jason had to wait for his meal while Isabel tended to Cassandra. He was starting to note that every time that he needed her for something, Isabel was doing something with Cassandra.

-8-8-8-8-

“Isabel, are you using to the baby to blow me off?” Jason decided to ask one day while she was putting away laundry. He was still propped up in bed. His magazines still littering her side; she had stopped giving him junk food since he did not seem to know how to put things in the garbage.

Isabel, rather worn out from having to take care of two babies in her opinion, only spared him a glance. He got a good look at the haunting glint in her emerald eyes. There were bags marring her pale face, underneath her eyes and accompanied with a few stress lines.

“Isabel,” he repeated in a sterner tone, but was ignored.

Cassandra could be heard crying a few seconds after that, so Isabel went to tend to the baby again, putting the half-empty laundry basket down. She had started the laundry that morning and it was now the evening, the best time for her to a chance to put it away considering all of the interruptions that came along in the day. She could not fault Cassandra since she was just a baby while Jason…well, he was another matter altogether.

Isabel tuned Jason out as he started yelling for her again as she left the room, marching right to the child’s room. She focused on the baby and went upstairs to start on dinner once she calmed the girl down. She changed Cassandra, fed the girl, and kept an eye on the dinner, remaining upstairs to make it easier to ignore the pain-in-the-ass downstairs. She did not go back to Jason until she had dinner for him. She put the food down on a tray for him and then shocked him by putting Cassandra down by him.

“What’re you doing?” he asked while looking at the baby almost as if he did not know what she was.

“Watch her for a little while,” she replied, holding in a yawn. She wanted to take a short nap.

“A while? What’s a while?” he demanded to know, staring in horror as his girlfriend made her way to the door.

“Just a while. What the hell? You can’t spare thirty minutes to watch the baby. Why, what the fuck do you have to do with your time?” she countered with an edge in her voice. Her hand flexed into a fist; heaven help him if she had to turn around.

“What am I supposed to do with the kid?” He could hardly move. He had a broken leg and a messed up knee.

“I don’t know, make sure she doesn’t fall on the floor, give her that bottle if she cries, read to her a bit from one of your many magazines,” she replied in a sardonic tone.

“And?”

“And just spend some goddamn time with your damn daughter for once in your miserable damn life,” she answered harshly.

Isabel decided to leave the room before he asked any more stupid questions. She went upstairs and flopped down on the sofa. She curled up with a pillow, settled into the cushions, and closed her eyes, hoping for a nice nap. She got what she wanted for five minutes.

“Iz!” Jason hollered while Cassandra could be heard wailing at the top of her lungs.

“Heaven help me,” Isabel muttered while covering her face with her hands and rubbing her face for a moment. She rose from her resting place and trotted downstairs. “What. The. Fuck?” she inquired in an irked tone.

“She won’t stop crying,” Jason said while motioning down to the baby, who, true to his word, was bawling her eyes out.

“And what did you try to stop her?” she asked curiously, almost as if she was implying that he was too stupid to have tried anything at all.

“I tried giving her the bottle, but she didn’t want.”

“I should think not when she ate fifteen minutes ago. What was method number two?” she inquired, sounding quite condescending toward him right now due to the fact that she was quite upset. She did not ask him for much, after all. She just wanted him to watch _their_ daughter for a mere half-hour just so she could get some sleep. Request denied, apparently.

“You didn’t tell me what to do. I mean, crying means hungry right?” he pointed out, huffing slightly as he spoke.

Isabel sighed and rubbed her face again. She slowly counted to ten in her head, having been told it was a good way to control anger. She believed that it worked, but she was about to find out that nothing was going to be able to contain her wrath at the moment. She leaned down to pick up Cassandra, holding the baby close; the usual calming effect did not kick in.

“Thanks for nothing, Jason. I’m glad to see you’re such a devoted fucking father,” Isabel stated perfectly clear.

“Isabel,” he said.

“No, no, no, forget I asked you to do something like spend time with your daughter. Stupid me,” she commented as she started toward the door.

“Hey, I’m not a bad father,” he argued. He was just in a bad way right now. He could not focus on Cassandra.

“No, you’re not because you’re not a damn father at all. When was the last time you saw Cassandra for more than five fucking minutes and actually tried to do something for her? You’re a fucking asshole,” she stated plainly.

“Hey, I’m a good father!” he proclaimed. He was there for Cassandra, but he was in a bad way right now. Why was Isabel acting like she could not see that he was in a horrible position?

Isabel’s response to that was to give him the finger as she shut the bedroom door. She took Cassandra upstairs and put her in a bouncy chair that was on the floor by the couch. Isabel then settled down on the couch and hoped that she would be able to get a few minutes of peace.

Jason frowned in the bedroom. He grabbed the phone, which was set up on the nightstand. He made a quick call. Hardly an hour later, there was a knock at the door that Isabel answered. She frowned when she saw who was at her door.

“What the hell do you two want?” Isabel demanded to know, speaking to Jason’s parents.

“We’re here to pick up Jason and take him home,” Helen informed her, sounding as if those words would hurt Isabel. Little did they know, but she would help them pack for him. She hoped that they were keeping him for a good long time.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Jason leaves the apartment, yet continues to show off his “stellar” parenting skills.

 


	11. Purgatory

Chapter 11: Purgatory

Jason was gone and Isabel was not lamenting his absence. He had gone to stay with his parents. She guessed that it was to be pampered in a way that she was not looking to provide. She did not care. She was glad he was out of her house.

“Daddy’s gone, Cassandra. He didn’t wanna stay with us anymore,” Isabel commented, speaking to the baby, who was lying in her crib.

Cassandra was not paying her mother any mind, more interested in a toy that her mother was holding than anything else. Isabel rattled the little toy for the baby, which got a grin from the child. Cassandra reached for the noisy toy, earning a smile from her loving mother.

“So, it’s just you and me, precious. Let’s see how long this lasts,” Isabel said. She was not quite sure why she added that last part. Was she implying that she would let Jason come back to the house after a while? Or just that she was waiting for him to come and ask if he could move back in? Maybe it was something else, but she did not know.

The baby still was not paying Isabel any mind. Apparently, one had to make a rattle sound for Cassandra to give a damn. Isabel did not mind, still smiling up a storm, having a good time playing around with Cassandra.

So, now it was just Isabel and Cassandra. Jason was at his parents’ house, getting pampered in a way that Isabel had not and probably would not have thought to do. He never did come back to live with them. Isabel never really took the time to think about that.

-*-(New day)-*-

Isabel was trying to get back into shape now that Cassandra was getting a bit older and she was not so nervous about leaving her baby girl with other people. She figured that soon, she would be fine with going back to “work” while probably letting her mother watch the baby. While she was going through exercises, Cassandra was sitting in the living room on a blanket with a bunch of toy animals. The living room looked like it was the baby’s room. She had toys all around the place and she was not confined to a playpen, so she could just move all over the place, leaving toys somewhere and going to other toys.

Isabel kept an eye on Cassandra while going through all of the motions of getting back in shape. Every now and then, Cassandra would look at her and grin. Isabel would smile back without missing a step in workout.

“We’re having fun, aren’t we, baby?” Isabel inquired and the baby seemed to respond by laughing.

Cassandra then turned her attention back to her toys. She also looked up at the television, which was playing a kiddie show. Cassandra seemed to be in her own world, going back and forth from her toys to her show. Isabel focused on her workout, but her mind never went too far from her baby girl. She thought that she noticed Cassandra standing up, but she thought that she was just seeing things. She did do a double take, though.

“Oh, my god,” Isabel muttered when she saw that her daughter was actually standing up. “Oh, my god, way to go, baby!” she cheered.

Isabel dropped what she was doing and rushed over to Cassandra. She scooped the child up and hugged her tightly. Cassandra giggled as Isabel spun her around. Isabel then rushed to the phone, having to call her mother, her sister, Ellie, and then Jason. She was in for a shock after having the first three people share in her excitement that the last one seemed to care less.

“Okay, so she stood up,” Jason said almost dismissively. His voice practically oozed boredom.

“What do you mean ‘so’? She stood up!” Isabel replied, beaming with joy and it was clear even over the phone. She was still holding Cassandra, who looked as if she was interested in the phone call. The child had that expression on her face when her mother had called the others too; it was like she wanted in on the conversation.

“It was bound to happen sooner or later,” he pointed out blandly.

“Well, it happened sooner rather than later. She’s also bound to grow up strong, but that doesn’t make it any less of an accomplishment when it happens,” she argued, holding back a growl. Damn it, he was sucking up all of her giddy atmosphere and he was not even around.

“Look, Iz, she just stood up. She didn’t walk or talk or anything,” he countered, snorting a bit at the end of his statement.

“Well, she will soon,” she insisted.

“Okay, so standing up is no big deal.”

Isabel frowned; her face was now tense and getting tighter by the second. “Bye, Jason.”

“Wait,” he said, shocked by her sudden and blunt dismissal.

“What?” she inquired in a testy tone. She was scowling and her forehead was wrinkled from her anger.

“How’ve you been? When you going to come see me?” he asked, quite curious. He almost sounded polite when asking, nothing like he sounded when they were discussing the baby.

Isabel had not gone to see Jason since he moved out of her apartment, which was quite a while ago. He was hoping that she did not take the move out as a breakup because he certainly did not mean it like that. His parents had actually made that mistake and he had to explain them that he was still with Isabel like always. He did not want to have the same conversation with her.

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. She knew that his leaving was not a breakup, but she was not in the mood to see him, even though he had been gone for a few months now. She had been focusing on getting back into shape and taking care of Cassandra. It did not help that every time she spoke to him on the phone, he said something that pissed her off.

“Well, you should come see me. My leg is healing up pretty well. They’re not too sure about my knee, though. I might have to go in for another surgery. I figure if you’re there supporting me, everything should be all right this time around,” he said in a somewhat light tone.

She could tell from his tone that he was smiling. She sighed; was she in the mood to be supportive? She could still remembering his pestering and whining from when he was staying with her. Well, she supposed that it would not be too bad…unless he tried to come home with her again. But, she doubted that he would do that after trying to have her as a nurse the first time.

“I suppose I could come see you. I’ll bring Cass and we’ll make a day of it,” Isabel proposed.

Jason was silent for a moment. “I guess.”

Isabel frowned again. She did not like his tone or his rather flippant response. It was almost like he did not want to see Cassandra. Suddenly, the baby started crying; maybe she could sense her mother’s mood dropping like a bowling ball off of the Empire State Building.

“Jason, I’ve got to go. The baby’s crying. I’ll call you later about when we’ll come see you,” Isabel said.

“Wait—” Jason tried to protest, but he was now talking to the air. Isabel disconnected the call.

“Thanks for that, precious,” Isabel said to Cassandra as she worked on figuring out why the baby was weeping.

-*-(New day)-*-

Isabel sighed as she got out of the cab. She paid the driver and gathered her child, along with the baby bag. She then turned her attention to Hell on Earth in her opinion; no, it was not her mother’s house. It was the Gooding home; so, so much worse than her mother’s house could ever dream of being, she figured.

“Well, sweetheart, we’re going to see Daddy now,” Isabel said, holding Cassandra close to her with one arm while having the baby bag draped on her opposite shoulder.

Cassandra looked less than impressed bundled in her winter clothing. Her pale cheeks were already turning red, after only being in the cold for a few seconds. Isabel noticed that immediately and rushed to the door to get her baby into some warmth. She knocked on the door, but there was no answer for a few seconds. She knocked harder and there still was no answer.

“Look, you knew I was coming and I know you’re in there, so if you don’t open the door, I’m going to fucking kick it down!” Isabel announced loudly. That statement seemed to get Cassandra’s attention and her emerald eyes went wide, as if she wanted to see her mother do such a thing.

The door was opened before Isabel had to put her stylish boot through it. She was scowling as she stepped into the house. She did not say anything to Helen, who was the person that opened the door.

“I’m in the living room, Isabel,” Jason called.

Isabel walked off to the left into the adjacent room and found Jason laid up on the white sofa in the large family room. He was lounging comfortably in sleeveless red t-shirt and pair of black sports’ shorts; the heat in the house was just lovely, especially compared to the weather outside. He turned his attention from the movie that he was watching on the wall-mounted television to the mother of his child.

“Hey, Iz,” Jason said with a warm smile when he laid eyes on her.

“Hi, dearest,” Isabel replied in her usual tone and she leaned down to give him a kiss on the mouth. She pulled away after a couple of seconds, even though he seemed intent on lingering against her lips.

“Oh, let me take your coat and things,” Jason offered as he sat up.

Isabel nodded. She put the baby bag down and sat Cassandra on the couch. She stripped the baby down from the bundle of clothing that she had the little girl wrapped in. Cassandra grinned when she was down to her regular outfit; her emerald eyes seemed to shine with glee. Once the child was free, Isabel started to get out of her own bundle. She handed it all to Jason and he went to hang up the heavy bundle in the closet.

While Jason was gone for a second, Isabel set Cassandra up for the visit. She pulled out a few toys for the baby from the bag that she brought with her. She put a couple on the sofa and a couple on the floor. It was up to Cassandra where she wanted to be and it was also up to her to get there if that place was the floor. Isabel sat down on the couch as Jason came back.

“Hey, precious, say hi to Daddy,” Isabel urged the baby.

Cassandra actually looked like she rolled her eyes; quite the feat for someone so young. Isabel laughed a bit; she thought that Cassandra was way too expressive for a child that was not even a year old. Jason did not seem to get the joke, which was probably due to the fact that he was not paying Cassandra much mind. He completely missed the face that the baby made when instructed by Isabel to greet him.

“So, Isabel, what’ve you been up to?” Jason asked curiously while taking her around the waist and pulling her closer to him. She did not resist the move; it actually felt a bit nice to be touched by him after so long. Her heart dared to beat a little faster; his did the same.

“Nothing, just hanging out with the baby,” Isabel answered honestly.

“How’s everything? You need anything?” he inquired.

“No, I’m fine,” she assured him. She had enough money to support herself, even though she was not working. She had her mother, her sister, and friend assisting her with the baby. She had time now to get back into shape, which she thankful for. Everything was fine in her world.

“You sure? You need money or anything for the baby?” he asked, almost vigorously.

“No, me and Cassandra are all right. Right, Cass?” Isabel turned to the baby and tickled underneath her chin. The child giggled.

Isabel smiled at the baby and then turned her attention back to Jason. He looked a bit down. She guessed that he wanted to be of some kind of help to them. It was actually cute and she dared to consider that she might actually miss him just for that. She curled up into his massive frame, which caused him to smile.

Jason wrapped his arms around Isabel, happy to feel her in his grips again. It felt like old times to him, before he was injured and before…the baby. Cassandra seemed to know that he was thinking about her because she turned to look at him. She stared at Jason for a while and, for a moment he could have sworn that she smiling at him in a nearly devilish manner, as if saying that things would never be like old times. She then turned her attention to the toys that Isabel put on the floor for her. Cassandra went to the edge of the couch.

Jason dismissed the smile as a figment of his imagination and he watched Cassandra as she moved the sofa. He was a bit anxious about where she parked herself. He knew that if she hurt herself, Isabel would be right there, babying her. He silently assured himself that no baby was dumb enough to fall off of the sofa.

Cassandra focused her gaze on her toys and then turned herself around, so that her legs were facing the edge of the couch. Jason continued to watch as Cassandra backed herself up to the end of the sofa. He thought for sure that she was going to fall, but noticed that Isabel did not seem too concerned. He was willing to bet that would change when Cassandra fell off of the sofa and broke her head open, so he decided to avoid that. He moved to catch Cassandra just as she was about to slide off of the sofa.

“Gotcha,” Jason muttered while taking hold of Cassandra’s arm.

Isabel smiled a bit, sort of proud that Jason seemed to think that he was saving their daughter. But, also contributing to her expression was the fact that Cassandra was looking at Jason as if asking him what the hell he was doing. Jason was not used to reading Cassandra’s face, so he did not think about the look at all.

“Dearest, it’s all right. You can let her go. Cass gets off of the couch at home by herself all the time now. She knows what she’s doing,” Isabel assured him. She wanted Jason to release Cassandra for the simple fact that he had to lean forward to catch the baby, which meant that he was currently crushing his girlfriend.

“Does she?” he asked as if he could not believe such a thing was possible. He was surprised that he had not gotten a phone call about that information considering the fact that Isabel called him over every little thing involving Cassandra in his opinion.

“Yes, she’s getting to be so independent. Soon, she’ll be moving out,” Isabel joked.

Jason eased his hold on Cassandra and watched her dropped to the floor. She seemed to land pretty hard, but was not fazed by that. She crawled over to her toys and played with those for a few quiet minutes. Everything was peaceful and quiet between the little family until Cassandra started crying, seemingly because she could not get back up on the couch. She had no problem leaning against the sofa, though.

“Ah, what’s wrong with her?” Jason inquired, sounding a bit annoyed, which might have had something to do with the fact that Isabel pulled away from him as soon as their child began wailing. He was now frowning slightly and glaring at the baby.

“She wants to get back up, but has yet to perfect climbing,” Isabel remarked with a smile.

Isabel plucked Cassandra up and put her back on the sofa. Cassandra looked at her toys for a moment and then started crying again. Isabel pulled away from Jason once more and cuddled their child, which quieted Cassandra down. Isabel settled back into Jason, ignoring the slightly tense feel of his body now, while Cassandra closed her eyes and went to sleep.

In Isabel’s opinion, the visit went rather well. Jason had not been obnoxious in any way that she noticed. He was not showing as much disdain toward Cassandra as he had in the past as far as she could tell; she hoped that would decline each time that he saw their daughter until the feeling was completely gone. She did not have any problem with making another appointment with him to see him before his surgery.

“You want to go dinner or something?” Jason proposed, arm still around her and holding her to him.

“I’ll see,” Isabel answered. She would have to find a babysitter and despite what he might think, her mother and sister did have lives outside of waiting for her to call for one of them to watch Cassandra.

“We can do it tomorrow. I’m sure your mom or sister would watch the baby,” he said in an easygoing tone.

Isabel laughed; he was too predictable. “I’ll have to see.”

“If not them, then maybe my mother,” he offered.

Isabel scoffed; like hell she would leave her baby with his parents with no one around. Next thing she would know, she would come back to find out that Cassandra was sold on the black market. And then she would have to kill his parents. It would all just lead to one big mess that she would rather avoid.

“We’ll see,” she said in a non-committed tone.

Jason frowned, disliking her wishy-washy response it seemed. His expression was not making her too inclined to try hard to find a babysitter. She did call her mother and sister when she got home, but they had plans.

“You shouldn’t ask on such short notice,” Isabella scolded her eldest.

“I know. He just sprung this on me, though,” Isabel replied. She knew the fact that she wanted one of them to watch Cassandra while she went out with Jason was not helping her situation.

“So? Take the baby with you. If he didn’t want Cassandra, he should’ve stayed out of bed with you,” Isabella commented, as if she was stating any other fact of the universe.

“Exactly,” Kat chimed in, reminding them that she was on the other line and still listening to them go back and forth.

“Thank you for pointing that out,” Isabel remarked dryly.

“I’m serious. You two made the baby, now you have to look out for her,” Isabella pointed out bluntly.

“Wow, Mommy, I never would have thought that,” Isabel said sarcastically.

“Girl, I will slap you through this phone if you keep that up. Take Cass with you if you want to go out with him so badly. That’s the only solution you have so far as your sister and I have things to do,” Isabella pointed out and then she hung up on her end.

“Master of the obvious that woman,” Isabel quipped, frowning as she spoke.

“She makes a point, though. Take Cassie with you. It’s just dinner. Not like you two are going to start grinding each other on the table or nothing…or was that the plan?” Kat teased, snickering.

“Goodbye, Kat,” Isabel said and then she disconnected the call, not giving her sister to say anything else.

Isabel called her boyfriend and broke the news to Jason that they would have to take Cassandra if he still wanted to go out to dinner. He seemed sour about it, even over the phone; the displeasure pretty much dripped out of his mouth like thick syrup. Isabel did not think anything of his tone and decided to give it a try. After all, Cassandra was rather well behaved.

Jason took Isabel to a rather expensive and classy restaurant, as he had a habit of doing. Such things helped add to the special feeling that he still managed to give her, even though she was not impressed by such things. It was just the effort that he put into trying to impress her. Despite all of his behavior, Isabel still felt like she was world to him because she knew that he wanted her attention and he would do almost anything to get it. It was touching.

The dinner was nice for a few minutes, but eventually Cassandra started crying for no reason that either of her parents could see. Jason scowled as he thought that the evening was ruined while Isabel took Cassandra out of the restaurant highchair, hoping to comfort her. People around the high class restaurant began grumbling in their direction, which Isabel did not appreciate; it was not like Cassandra was the only baby on the planet that cried.

“Hey, if you guys have something to say, I’d appreciate you saying it to my fucking face,” Isabel informed one couple, who was looking over at their table with disgust in their eyes.

“Iz,” Jason said, hoping to quell her temper.

“No, I could use the workout. So, if somebody has something so important to say, they need bring their asses over here and say it to my damn face,” Isabel declared loud enough for the whole place to hear her. She wished someone would step to her because her daughter was crying; she would wipe the floor with that person and anyone else that had something to say.

“Calm down, babe,” Jason urged her, making a gesture to go with his words, hoping that would help.

Isabel did not calm down because people continued on looking and talking while she was trying to quiet down Cassandra. Jason put his head down in embarrassment, which did not let up. Eventually, the manager came over and asked the family to leave. Isabel was more than happy to go and wasted no time in getting up to do so. Jason could not believe it. Isabel cursed the manager out before exiting the establishment.

“Did you have to get us kicked out?” Jason inquired in a heated tone as they marched out of the restaurant, going to his car.

“I don’t know, did those pricks have to act like they never heard a fucking baby cry before?” she countered as if she was calling him an idiot with the question.

“You could’ve handled things more civilly.”

“Oh, excuse the fuck out of me for behaving like a savage,” she remarked with a face of false-shock.

“I didn’t say that.”

“You implied it.”

“No, I didn’t,” he said while opening the doors to the car.

Jason hopped into the driver’s seat while Isabel strapped Cassandra down in her car seat. The baby was still crying for some mysterious reason. Isabel was able to tune Cassandra out once she got into the passenger seat. She figured whatever Cassandra’s problem was, the baby was going to have to deal with it on her own while they were in the car, especially since she had not been able to do anything for Cassandra before.

“Is she going to cry all the way to the apartment?” Jason huffed, scowling deeply after having to listen to Cassandra wail for a few minutes. The bawling was worse in an enclosed area; she might as well have been screaming directly in his ear, he thought.

“It would seem so,” Isabel remarked calmly, folding her hands in her lap. Her demeanor was not helping his attitude.

“Do something about her,” he demanded, cutting his girlfriend a glare while trying to keep his eyes on the road too.

“And what would you suggest?” she inquired curiously, arching an eyebrow as she turned slightly to look at him. She really needed to hear that one.

“I don’t know. You’re her mother, do something about her,” he replied in annoyed tone while motioning behind them, like she did not know where the baby was.

Her eyes seemed to sparkle for just a moment; not a good sign. “Oh, would you like to wave my magic fairy wand and make her disappear?”

Jason frowned much deeper than he had already been doing. Lines creased his forehead and line also dug into the corners of his mouth. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, strangling the wheel at the ten o’clock and two o’clock positions.

“Why do you always have to like this?” he snarled, sneering at her while he was at it.

“I don’t know, but it probably has something to do with the fact that you’re always being like you are,” she replied coolly, but her arms were now crossed against her chest.

“Oh, and how am I?” he inquired with a mocking look on his face.

“I dunno…I’ll go with asshole to save time. You like that? You’re an asshole,” she informed him, looking him dead in the eye as she spoke those words.

Jason’s frown cut even deeper into his face. “That’s real mature of you, Iz,” he commented sarcastically with a scoff to top if all off.

Isabel only rolled her eyes, not caring to go back and forth with him anymore. She could not wait to get to the apartment and away from him. She grabbed Cassandra’s car seat out of the backseat and left the vehicle as soon as he pulled up to her place. She barely waved her farewell to Jason. He did not even think to inquire if she needed help with the baby. He merely pulled off as soon as Isabel was standing on the sidewalk. Apparently, all of his gentlemanly ways abandoned him when he got angry.

Isabel did not think anything of him speeding off before she was even in the house. She merely walked up to the door, put her keys in, and sighed in relief when she was safely in the house. Cassandra finally stopped wailing as soon as the door closed behind them. Isabel laughed a bit; it seemed like the best and only thing to do for that exact second.

“I hope you’re happy, precious. You ruined Mommy and Daddy’s date,” Isabel commented with a smile on her face. It was almost as if she could not even be upset with the child, which might have been influenced by the fact that she was rather pissed at Jason for the moment.

Cassandra had the nerve to look skeptical when her mother stopped talking. Isabel continued to anyway and marched to the bedroom to get out of clothes and to get Cassandra out of her clothes too. Isabel was now hesitant in going to see Jason in a few days after he had his surgery.

“He might be an arrogant jerk-off, but he does need the support,” Isabel reminded herself. After all, if the surgery did not fix his knee, he might never play football again. She knew that would crush him. She sighed. “Fine, I’ll be the good little girlfriend and go see him.”

It was a good thing that there were a couple of days in between having to see Jason again. She was able to calm down and forget about the horrible evening that they had. She then had to prepare herself mentally with having to see his parents. That was no small feat.

-*-(New day)-*-

As soon as Isabel walked into the hospital room she was met with venomous looks from Jason’s parents. Jason was laid up in bed, fresh from his surgery. He smiled as Isabel entered the room and then noticed that she was not empty-handed.

“You brought the baby,” Jason deadpanned.

“No one would watch her. They felt like she needed to see her daddy, anyway,” Isabel replied, smiling a bit as she spoke.

Jason did not say anything to that. Isabel was not sure how to take his silence and sat Cassandra down right next to him on the bed. He looked down at her while she looked at him with a raised eyebrow as if asking what his problem was. He frowned at her a moment.

“Don’t sit her there. She might hurt his knee,” Roger pointed out while motioning for Isabel move Cassandra.

Isabel waved him off while pulling up her own chair to the bed. She knew that the Goodings would not dare to move Cassandra. They seemed scared to touch her, which Isabel thought was good. It showed that they learned from past mistakes.

“So, dearest, how do you think things went?” Isabel asked with a small, hopeful smile on her face.

“They’re not sure yet. I’ve got to give it a while. What do you think?” he inquired with some hope in his voice.

“I think you’ll be out there next season, running as hard as always,” she assured him, still smiling at him. He smiled back and took her hand in his. He believed in that because she said it.

Isabel was not too far off. He was back playing football that next season, only to re-injure his knee in practice. It was almost certain from that injury that he was never going to play again. It felt like the world caved in on him and to make matters worse, Isabel had not been around when he received that news because Cassandra caught a cold. Isabel just did not want to leave the baby to go see Jason in the hospital, especially since she thought he would be fine.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Kat is pregnant. Jason babysits.

 


	12. Seventh circle of Hell

Chapter 12: Seventh circle of Hell

“Where’s Cassie?” Kat asked her sister curiously as they sat around in a plain waiting room. The walls were a calming sky blue and there was a small table in front of the sisters. The table had a few magazines littering it; the magazines were not being ignored either.

Kat was looking a bit more mature now, which was good considering the fact that she was about to be nineteen. She had grown her golden locks out more to the point where her hair hit the middle of her back. She carried herself even more like her big sister now; her shoulders were almost always squared and chin held high with quiet dignity.

“I left her with her daddy,” Isabel replied in a rather bored tone while flipping through a magazine. She still had on her long black coat despite the fact that it was warm inside. It was just that the chill whipping around outside was clinging to her bones. It was hard to believe that spring was right around the corner.

“Oh, you mean he’s good for more than the occasional pity fuck?” Kat remarked with a smile on her face. Her tan coat was resting in her lap, showing that she was wearing a plain white shirt that hugged her like a second skin.

Isabel cut her little sister a biting look; the glare probably would have made anyone else’s blood run cold. “It’s not a pity fuck.”

Blue eyes were rolled and scoff accompanied the move. “Oh, please, you’re going to tell me that you’re not still with him just because you feel sorry for the guy?” the blonde sister inquired.

Isabel rolled her eyes in return. “Why I’m with Jason is none of your concern,” she replied in an almost cold tone and her sister mouthed those words along with her. “And stop that,” Isabel huffed, referring to the mimicking.

“You’re so damned predictable with him now. He’s such a pathetic bastard. He acts like the world ended up because he never went pro and he tried to drag you down with him. I’m shocked you trust Cassie with him.”

“He’s her daddy.”

“And?” Kat asked with a craned eyebrow and a baffled look on her face, not understanding the implications at all. Her confusion could have stemmed from the fact that she hated Jason or growing up without a father. Either way, she did not get what her sister was trying to imply.

“He’s going to look after her.”

“Oh, yeah? How often do you let him watch her?”

Isabel did not bother to answer that question and turned her attention back to her magazine. She did silently admit that she did not let Jason watch Cassandra often. She liked to think that it was because he still lived at home and she did not want his parents near their child. That excuse made sense to her and was way better than her actually thinking that Jason would not take the best of care in regards to their daughter.

“You need to stop worrying about my baby’s daddy and worry about your own, not that you know who that is,” Isabel remarked blandly.

Kat laughed a bit. “We don’t even know if I’m pregnant yet,” she pointed out.

“I think three home tests are enough to tell us in a few months you’ll have a kitten wandering around,” the elder commented.

Kat shrugged. “So what? It’ll be fun.”

“Uh-huh. It’ll be real fun when you have to tell Mommy you’ve having a baby…not that she couldn’t have seen that one coming.”

“Oh, please, she won’t give a damn, as long as I’m not having Jason’s baby,” the blonde quipped with a teasing smile.

Isabel had to concede that point. Hell, their mother probably would not even care that Kat was probably pregnant just because she was not having Jason’s baby. Although Kat was not sure whose baby she was having.

“So, what’re you going to do about your boyfriends?” Isabel asked curiously, eyes still in her magazine instead of on her sister.

“I don’t know. I don’t really care. If they wanna run, they just better do it fast,” Kat replied with a grin.

“Well, if it’s your usual number of three, I don’t think running is going to help since I can grab one, you grab the other, and Mommy gets the last one. She is going to want to know who’s not accepting responsibility for your dating insanity,” Isabel pointed out.

“I know. You want to do that, right?” Kat asked since her big sister brought it up. She knew that her sister and their mother thought a lot alike, even if Isabel did not want to admit it.

“Well, just to know who the other half of my niece or nephew is. Maybe find out what kind of asshole he is, not that I can fault him much since you’re cheating on him undoubtedly,” Isabel said in a dry tone.

“Well, I wouldn’t be cheating if more guys were open-minded enough to accept that I’m not a monogamous creature. I can’t be with one guy like you. God, how fucking boring is that?” Kat scoffed and rolled her eyes. She honestly could not see how people stayed with one partner for years; it just boggled her mind.

“I’m fine with my one guy thank you very much. You never know, your baby’s father might actually want to stick around and be with the kid.”

Kat nodded; she supposed that it was possible. It just depended on which boyfriend was the father of her baby. Sometimes, she did not pick out the best guys since she was just looking to have fun. And sometimes, fun came at a price. But, every now and then, she came across a very decent guy and maybe her baby would be lucky to have one of those as the father.

“So…will you tell Mommy about this for me?” Kat requested with a wide, innocent grin.

“I don’t know, will you pull her off of me after she goes for the jugular?” the eldest countered without so much as glancing at the obviously insane blonde.

“I’ll buy you a nice casket if that means anything to you,” Kat offered.

“To hell with that. I’ve got a tiger cub to worry about,” Isabel reminded her younger sibling. She referred to Cassandra as a tiger cub because the two-year-old now had the habit of stalking things, having watched way too many animal programs on television it seemed.

The blonde blew stuck her tongue out and scoffed at the air. “Some big sister you are.”

“You’re lucky I’m here for this. Shit, Mommy finds out that I knew before she did and that’s my ass,” Isabel pointed out.

Kat only smiled, as if that information made her happy. She was more comfortable with the idea of Isabel accompanying her to the doctor than their mother. It was not that she thought Isabella was going to be upset with her, because she highly doubted that. It was just that she would prefer Isabel there since she would provide entertaining conversation and noticeable moral support.

“So, seriously, you’ll tell Mommy, right?” Kat asked.

Isabel only looked at her; her jade eyes replied sarcastically, “Yeah, right.”

-8-8-8-8-

Jason was sitting on the couch in the living room of his parents’ house. The space was large with dark green carpeting to match the lime green walls. The furniture was all black from the sofa to the wall unit that held the television and DVD player.

Despite the fact that Jason no longer played football, he was still built like a player because he still worked out a lot. It was a good way to pass the time in his opinion. He was still in school, having one more semester to go. He then planned to work with his father full time in his business; he already worked there part-time.

He appeared to be quite annoyed at the moment. His face was tense and his jaw tight; the rest of his body following that example. His mouth was cut into a frown. His eyes seemed to glare while focused on his little guest.

He wanted to watch television, but Cassandra was currently robbing him of that small joy. She was sitting about three feet from the television and watching some annoying cartoon show about animals while eating dry cereal out of a little baggie. He was so irked by her, even though she was not really doing anything. It was just that he wanted to watch television, but every time he tried to change from her show, she cried. If he had to watch more of the cartoon he was going to go out of his mind.

He sighed in relief when the credits started rolling. “Thank god.” He picked up the remote and changed the channel.

Cassandra looked panicked, her mouth trembling while her eyes went wide with terror. She started yelling, not using words, but making horrified sounds, and then she turned to look at her father. She pointed to the television while wailing, but no tears came from her eyes. He was not fazed by her behavior.

“The show’s over, Cass. I can’t do anything about that,” he replied. He was sort of lying since Isabel left a DVD of the show for Cassandra to watch to keep her from freaking out.

Cassandra did not seem to be buying his response. She got up and went to the television. She hit the screen, a hollow thud echoing through the room, and then looked at her father with an angry glint in her eyes.

“Hey!” he barked at her because of her actions.

“Show!” Cassandra shouted.

“The show’s over. Now, get away from there and sit down,” he ordered the child in a harsh tone.

“Show!” She hit the television screen again, eyes locked on her father like a lion on a lame zebra.

Jason scowled, his top lip curling in fury. “The show’s over. Now, sit down,” he commanded her again. He spoke through gritted teeth now, revealing that his little bit of patience was wearing thin.

“Show!”

Jason continued to scowl, believing that his daughter was being a brat. He got up from his seat and snatched her up by the arm. Cassandra watched as her snack of dry cereal spilled out of the baggie containing them as her father pulled her away from the television.

“Damn it,” the child said, almost totally clear.

“Hey, you don’t use language like that,” he scolded her as he yanked her up onto the sofa. “Now, sit there and be quiet for a little while.”

“No,” Cassandra huffed and she tried to get off of the couch as soon as her father set her down.

“Hey, I said sit there,” he ordered her and he gently pushed her back to the couch. He put enough force into the shove to make sure she was on the sofa again.

“No!” she yelled and started moving again.

Jason huffed and struggled with the baby for more time than he liked. He wondered how Isabel could deal with such an unruly brat. He ended up doing something that he knew Isabel did from time to time, he “spanked” Cassandra. It was not really a spanking, but he hit her on the bottom and merely earned a look from her that asked “oh, was that it?”

“No, sit there and be quiet,” he ordered again, obviously thinking he had done something because the girl stopped moving around for a few seconds.

Cassandra looked at him as if asking if he was serious. He thought that she could not believe that he “spanked” her and that was why he was getting the look from her. She sat there for a moment and he got to enjoy television for about five seconds.

“Fuck!” Cassandra complained while hitting her palms against the sofa cushions, earning a dull protest from them.

“Hey!” he barked at her for her language. He knew her swearing was due to Isabel. He told her not to curse so much in front of the baby, but she just did not listen to him. Now, their two-year-old child had a gutter mouth.

Cassandra cut her eyes to her father. He continued frowning and he actually went back and forth with the child until Isabel came back. The struggle between the father and daughter lasted for almost an hour.

“Mommy!” Cassandra cheered as soon as Isabel stepped into the living room. She slid off of the couch and charged her mother.

“Hey, my little tiger cub,” Isabel said with a smile as she bent down and opened her arms to catch her daughter. The mother and daughter gave each other tight hugs. “You’ve been being a good girl for Daddy?” Isabel asked as she pulled away.

Cassandra was honest, shaking her head to tell on herself. No, she was not being a good girl. If she had a more extensive vocabulary, she would have explained to her mother that Jason was being a jerk in her opinion.

“Iz, something is wrong with that girl,” Jason huffed from his space on the sofa.

“Now, why would you say that?” Isabel inquired while standing back up, bringing Cassandra up with her.

“She’s been screaming all day. She threw her snack on the floor. She curses worse than a sailor,” he reported, sounding quite infuriated and having the expression to match.

Isabel was about to say something, but then something odd caught her attention. She heard a little noise that came from Cassandra. More specifically, the sound came from her daughter’s stomach.

“Precious, are you hungry?” Isabel inquired and the child nodded enthusiastically. The mother turned her attention back to Jason with a baffled and slightly upset expression on her face. “Jason, you didn’t give her lunch?”

“You didn’t tell me what or when to feed her,” he argued, motioning to the pair by flinging his arms toward them.

Isabel’s mouth practically hit the floor. She did not tell him what or when to feed Cassandra? Was he so inept that he could not figure out when their daughter needed lunch? She took a deep breath and reminded herself that she loved Jason. After all, that was the only way to explain why she stuck around with him.

“You know, a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich would’ve been enough. She’s just a little bit, after all. Right, little bit?” Isabel asked her daughter, who nodded.

“Well, you didn’t tell me that,” Jason argued, frowning at her as if she was the one at fault.

Isabel shook her head. “Your parents here?” she inquired while glancing behind her.

“No, why?”

Isabel did not answer him. She marched into the kitchen, only to find that they did not have any peanut butter or jelly. She did not see anything that she would feel safe with feeding to the child. Isabel shook her head.

“This is a strange place, tiger cub,” she whispered to her daughter. “Come on, little bit. We’ll get you some lunch when we get home.”

Isabel went to gather Cassandra’s things and noticed that Jason never cleaned up the dropped snack that their daughter had been eating. She shook her head, but did not touch the mess. Hey, she was not his maid and he was there when the baby did it. He needed to clean it up in her opinion.

“You’re not going to stick around?” Jason asked curiously.

“No, I need to get Cass some lunch,” Isabel pointed out.

“Well, want me to drive you anywhere?”

“Home would be nice.” At the moment, she did not feel like she wanted to be around Jason much, but she needed to get home as soon as possible to put some food in Cassandra’s grumbling belly.

Jason nodded. “So, how did things go with your sister?”

Isabel just laughed, which did not last long. She knew that Kat would not want her talking about the trip with Jason and she respected that. So, she kept that to herself and finished getting Cassandra’s things together while pretending as if he did not even ask her anything. He was sort of used to that, so he did not make a big deal out of it; besides, he did not really care how things went with Kat.

The family went out to the car. Isabel had to set up the car seat for Cassandra; Jason never touched the thing. Isabel doubted that Jason knew how the car seat even fit in the backseat. Once Cassandra was secure, Isabel hopped in the passenger seat. They were off and home soon.

Isabel invited Jason up to be polite and much to her annoyance, he accepted. She sighed, but she did not say anything to it. They all went upstairs to the apartment. Isabel wasted no time in making Cassandra some lunch, which was a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich; strawberry jelly as that was Cassandra’s favorite. She put some fruit punch, which was watered down, into a no-spills cup for the child. She then put on Cassandra’s favorite show and Cassandra was good to go. The baby sat on the floor with her food and drink.

Jason watched Cassandra for a moment. She looked quite content, holding up one corner of her sandwich; Isabel had cut it into fours for her. Cassandra pulled the sandwich square apart and licked much of the jelly off.

“She’s going to make a mess,” Jason pointed out, turning his attention back to his host.

“She’s fine. She knows better,” Isabel replied in a dismissive tone, still moving about the kitchen with no goal in mind now. Besides, Cassandra just ate her sandwiches in a strange way. The child typically pulled the sandwich apart, lapped up the insides for a moment, put the sandwich back together, and then ate it in a normal manner.

Jason and Isabel conversed about nothing in particular for a few minutes. Cassandra walked over later on and held up her empty plate. Jason could not believe his eyes while Isabel took the dish and put it in the sink. Cassandra then went back to her spot in the living room and continued on watching her show.

“She wasn’t that clean with me,” Jason muttered incredulously.

Isabel smiled, almost smugly. “You just have to know how to handle her.”

The college student shook his head. He stayed for a few hours, ending up having dinner with them without getting on Isabel’s nerves to the point where she wanted to throw him out. By the time that he left, Isabel was ready for bed, though. Cassandra was still up, loving her show as it continued on play on the television for her. Isabel took a quick shower and then gave Cassandra a bath. She put Cassandra in the bed with her since the baby was now big enough and coordinated enough to climb over the bars of her crib.

“You know what, tiger cub? You’re going to have a little cousin by the end of the year. Your Auntie Kat went and got herself knocked up. So, you’re going to have a cousin soon enough and I get to be an auntie. First, we have to hope that we all survive your grandma’s reaction to the news,” Isabel remarked while making sure that her baby was covered properly.

Isabel doubted that her mother was going to react poorly to Kat’s pregnancy. The main point there was going to be finding out who was the father of Kat’s baby. She knew that was not going to be a small feat because Kat tended to change boyfriends like most women changed handbags. She did not hold that against her little sister because she did not think that it was a personality flaw or anything.

“It’ll be nice for another baby to be around, right, Cass?” Isabel asked.

“No!” Cassandra replied with vigor, as if she knew just want her mother was talking about. She did get the gist that her mother seemed to want another child around, which to her was a bad thing.

Isabel laughed. “Fine, no cousin for you then.”

“Yes!”

Isabel chuckled again. Somehow, she got the idea that Cassandra knew just what she was talking about, but was not in favor of another baby being around. Well, she was just going to have to deal with it, Isabel thought. They could not do anything to stop Kat from having her baby, especially since she was quite excited about finding out that she was pregnant.

-*-(New day)-*-

Isabella paced in her living room, close to wearing a path in the rug. Watching her was her two daughters, who were sitting on the sofa, looking like nervous children. They were not sure what to expect from her. Isabella’s expression was quite neutral as she moved about, eyes fixed on nothing in particular for the moment. She turned to them, sapphire eyes unreadable, and seemed like she was about to say something, but someone beat her to it.

“Mommy,” Cassandra called as she walked out into the living room from the small den that was adjacent to the living room. She went right to Isabel and held up the DVD case to her favorite show.

Isabel’s eyes quickly fell to her little girl. “It went off already?” the street fighter asked her child.

“Over,” Cassandra replied with a nod.

“I’ll put it back on,” Isabel assured her daughter and she was about to stand up.

“Wait a second,” Isabella said to her eldest. Isabel stayed in her seat while her mother bent down to pick up Cassandra.

“Grandma, over,” Cassandra reported while showing her grandmother the case to her DVD.

“I know, Cass. Give me a moment with your mommy and then we’ll put the DVD back on for you, okay?”

“But…over,” Cassandra complained with a worried look in her eyes. It was like she thought that the world would come to an end if her show was not put back on right now.

“I know, baby. One moment, though,” Isabella said.

Cassandra turned her eyes to her DVD and then back to her grandmother. She pouted a bit, but noticed it did not crack her grandmother’s neutral mask. Cassandra rolled her eyes and nodded to show that she would allow her grandmother her own moment. Isabella put the child down and the toddler trotted out of the room to leave the adults to their business.

“I don’t see why I need to be here anyway,” Isabel commented in a grumbling tone while turning her nose up.

“Because I want you here. Simple as that. Now, down to business,” Isabella stated. “Kat, father now,” she ordered in a clipped tone while pointing to her younger daughter with a stern index finger.

“I honestly have no damn clue,” the blonde admitted with a nonchalant shrug. She turned her mouth up slightly, letting out a silent scoff.

“Well, that’s just perfect. Are you planning to find out?” Isabella inquired, steel cutting into her usual calm down.

“Sure, why not?” Kat replied as if it never really crossed her mind. She shrugged one more time before motioning to her big sister with her left hand. “Iz’ll help.”

“Like hell I will!” Isabel objected while glaring at the younger fighter. She had better things to do with her time than to search for every guy that her sister had slept with in the past two months.

“I think you will,” Isabella told her eldest.

“Mommy!” Isabel protested with an outraged look on her face, scowling in her mother’s direction.

“It’ll help this go faster. With luck, this child’ll have a better father than the one you blessed Cassie with,” Isabella remarked coldly.

Isabel was not even sure where to begin arguing against that one. Instead, she just yielded right then and there. She was free to go for the moment and put on Cassandra’s video for her. When Cassandra was done, Isabel went back into the living room and looked at her sister.

“So, where do we start?” Isabel inquired with a sigh. She shook her head a bit, but only for about a second.

“Don’t worry, sis. I’ll make it up to you,” Kat promised with a wide grin.

“Of course, you’ll make this shit up to me. I’ve got work in a few days, so let’s get to this,” Isabel urged her sister in a bland tone, as if it did not matter.

“Oh, so I can watch Cass for you to make up for this!”

“That’ll be a great start, but I don’t think you doing something that you like makes up for me doing something I don’t want to do,” the pale sister pointed out.

Kat only grinned, although she could not argue that point. She did like watching Cassandra and would certainly do it for no reason at all. She could also understand Isabel’s position on the matter since she did not feel like hunting down the father of her baby. From what she could tell, watching her sister and growing up with her mother, a father did not seem so important, so she did not see why she should waste her time seeking the male parent of her own child.

“You know, we could just fake looking,” Kat suggested with a bright smile, as if she had just had the most brilliant idea ever.

“You can’t do that. This baby’s father might want to know,” Isabel argued, motioning to her sister’s flat abdomen with one hand.

“So?” Kat replied with a prolonged shrug.

“You listen to Izzie and you take your ass out there to find that baby’s father!” Isabella hollered from the kitchen.

“Why?” Kat whined, pretending to cry. It sounded like it would be so boring!

“What do you mean ‘why’? He has a right to know and a baby deserves a good father!” their mother barked.

“Makes me wonder, was our father bad or did we not deserve one?” Isabel muttered, hoping that the remark was not heard.

“Keep it up and I’m going to come out there and do something really painful to you with jar I’m holding,” Isabella promised her daughters.

Isabel made a mocking gesture with her hand, earning a chuckle from Kat. The laughter stopped when they thought that they heard footsteps. They looked at each other with horror in their eyes.

“Let’s go,” Isabel suggested.

“Right,” Kat agreed, nodding as she spoke.

“Mommy, watch Cass for a few hours!” Isabel called as the sisters grabbed their coats and charged out of the house.

Isabella could be heard laughing from the kitchen as her daughters exited the house. She emerged out of the kitchen with lunch for her granddaughter. She then joined Cassandra in the den. Despite the fact that the room was covered in white, Isabella gave the child a sandwich and left her on the floor with it. Cassandra did not get a drop of jelly on the eggshell-colored carpet as she went through her usual routine with her sandwich.

“Your mommy’s doing a good job,” Isabella commented with a small smile.

The proud grandmother went to get Cassandra something to drink to go with her sandwich. Cassandra was quiet while her show was on and she had lunch. When she was done, she did the same thing that she would do with her mother. She picked up her plate and walked to the kitchen to give it to her grandmother.

“Oh, you are such a good girl,” Isabella praised the child when Cassandra handed her the empty plate.

The child smiled a bit, looking even more like her mother than usual as she did so. Cassandra then ran back to the den to watch more of her program. Isabella chuckled; Cassandra seemed like such a little adult. It was too cute.

-8-8-8-8-

“I hate you so much right now,” Isabel grumbled as she and her sister entered their mother’s home. The elder sister’s face was tight from the scowl on her face. She really just wanted to punch the younger woman in the face right now.

“Why are you blaming me?” Kat inquired incredulous that she was being hated for a journey that she did not even wish to undertake.

“Because we’re supposed to be going through your boyfriends and you’re out there trying to pick up guys,” Isabel answered in a heated tone as she cut her sister a sideways glare. If those emerald eyes could cut, Kat would have been disemboweled on the spot.

“Well, they were good-looking. Can you fault me on that?”

“I’m doing it right now,” the elder sister pointed out through gritted teeth.

“Well, that’s mean of you,” Kat pouted as if she was thoroughly crushed.

Isabel rolled her eyes. She just wanted to get her daughter and go home now. She went into the den was not surprised to find her mother trying to teach Cassandra a fighting stance. Cassandra was paying attention too, which was also not surprising. The child was already showing signs of being interested in martial arts.

“Cass, say bye-bye to Grandma and Auntie Kat so we can get going,” Isabel instructed the child as she started to gather up Cassandra’s things.

“Bye-bye!” Cassandra grinned, waving enthusiastically at her grandmother. She then dashed out of the room to go do the same thing with her aunt.

Isabella laughed a bit. “You watch out for her, Izzie. I think she’s going to kick your ass long before you kick mine.”

“Mommy, I will take you outside right now and fuck you up so badly I’d have to be arrested afterwards,” Isabel declared with the utmost confidence.

“We’ll see,” Isabella commented in a bland tone, as if she did not believe her daughter. Isabel frowned; yeah, one day soon they would see.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Kat has her baby and the family gets ready for a road trip.


	13. Hellhole

Chapter 13: Hellhole

The mystery of who fathered Kat’s baby persisted and she doubted that she was ever going to find out who the guy was. She did not seem too interested in finding out who the father of her baby was anyway. It turned out that every guy that she saw before she got pregnant had little desire to be a father and the second that she informed them that she was pregnant, they disappeared.

Isabel and Isabella offered to find the guys for her, but Kat was not pressed on the who. All Kat cared about was that she was going to have a baby. Her sister and mother were happy about that and decided to just prepare for the next addition to their family. No use going through trouble when Kat did not care, after all.

Like when Isabel was pregnant, the family went a little overboard with Kat’s pregnancy. They wanted to do everything for her, which she was more open to doing than her big sister had been. The only problem that Kat with things was that her mother tried to keep an eye on her like Ellie was supposed to do with Isabel. To save her from that fate, Ellie and Isabel split the duty.

Like Isabel, Kat seemed to give birth to her own little clone. She had a little girl with a small patch of golden blonde hair and blue eyes that shone like deep ocean water. The new mother entertained the idea of naming the baby after herself since she seemed to have had a mini-version of her.

“This is all we need in life, two Kats,” Ellie remarked, shaking her head. She was there in the hospital with Isabella, Isabel, and Cassandra.

“Of course since I make everything better,” Kat retorted with a laugh. She was lying in her hospital bed and holding her new daughter. Her eyes seemed locked on the little life in her arms and she looked utterly amazed that she had given birth to something so precious.

“Okay, be serious. What are you going to name her?” Isabel inquired. She wondered if she looked at Cassandra like Kat was looking at her newborn. If she did, she was happy about that and she was also happy that no one ever said anything about.

“Hmm…” Kat thought on it for a few seconds. “I don’t really know,” she admitted with a grin.

They all sighed and shook their heads, especially since the blonde seemed proud that she did not know. Kat eventually settled on naming her daughter Alexandria, but she called the child “Alex” if she ever spoke her name. Mostly, she referred to her daughter as her “kitten” since the girl was like a mini-version of her.

“Do you think I’ll be able to take the weight off and get back in shape in time for the reunion?” Kat asked with a worried look in her eyes, glancing back between the three older women in the room.

“What does it matter anyway? We were just going to kick your ass in the first couple of rounds anyway,” Isabel teased, smirking like the devil at her bedridden sibling.

“Oh, please. I had a bunch of tricks up my sleeves. Now, I’m going to have to wait forever, huh?” Kat groaned. She fell back against her pillow very slowly, careful not to disturb her little girl.

“Well, let’s just say, you definitely won’t be in shape for the reunion after this feat,” Isabella commented in her typical bland tone. “You should’ve had better timing.”

“Mommy, your compassion always amazes me,” Isabel said dryly, folding her arms across her chest and leaning against the wall near her.

“I would say the same of you considering you just seconds ago bragged about how you would kick your sister’s ass,” their mother countered in the same tone.

“That was playful, sisterly banter.”

“Doesn’t excuse your compassion levels being at about the same height as an ant’s stomach.”

“You don’t even know what the word means,” Isabel said.

“Nor do I pretend to. Compassion is for the weak, child,” Isabella remarked, sounding quite serious about it.

Isabel wanted to argue, but she could not think of anything to say. She turned her attention to the new baby, going over to the bed for a closer look. She bent down to pick Cassandra up to see the newborn too. Cassandra frowned deeply at the sight.

“Can we get another one?” the toddler requested with her face knotted up in contemplation.

“Get another what?” Isabel inquired with a raised eyebrow, hoping that her daughter was not referring to who she believed the girl was.

“Another cousin. Don’t like this one,” Cassandra answered honestly while motioning down to the baby with a rough movement of her hand. It was like she was dismissing the newborn outright.

The adults in the room were speechless for more seconds than they liked. Well, what were they supposed to say? Suddenly, a frightening thing happened, Isabella laughed. All eyes turned to her while hoping that blood did not pour out of their ears because of the sound that she was emitting. Isabella rubbed the top of Cassandra’s head.

“Now, now, now, Cassie. Not only can’t we get you another cousin, but you’re going to like this one,” Isabella said to the child, maintaining her usual tone to make sure that the toddler understood how serious she was.

“Nope. Don’t like it,” Cassandra insisted, shaking her head to that idea. She was not going home with that cousin. They needed to get a new one.

“Your mommy didn’t like your aunt at first either,” Isabella commented.

“She didn’t?” Kat seemed totally outraged and surprised by that. How could her big sister not like her?!

“She tried returning you to the hospital at least a dozen times. She used to put you in the laundry basket, hoping I’d put you in the washing machine. She locked you in the closet once, but you started crying,” Isabella said and she could have gone on and on, but Kat cut in.

Kat glared at her big sister. “Why do I even like you?” she demanded to know in a growl, watching her volume because she did not want to disturb her baby.

“Because I’m fucking cool,” Isabel answered as if that was the most logical thing to say.

Kat could not argue that one; hey, her big sister was cool in her opinion. Cassandra then confirmed what her aunt was thinking. She also confirmed her mother’s opinion of herself.

“Fucking cool!” Cassandra said with a grin, pointing at her mother.

“See, everyone knows I’m cool,” Isabel remarked with a smile and a nonchalant shrug.

“Oh, so it’s cool to have a mother that’s twice your age that’s able to slap you around?” Isabella inquired with an arched eyebrow.

“Mommy, don’t start with me. I’ll toss you out that fucking window and say you fell,” Isabel replied while motioning to the window on the far side of the room.

“Go ahead and try. You’ll be lucky we’re already in a hospital,” Isabella countered.

Kat chuckled a bit while her mother and sister went back and forth. She then turned her attention to her little kitten, Alex. She cooed a bit to the child and then glanced up at Cassandra, who was deeply into the argument between her mother and grandmother. Kat smiled a bit.

“Don’t worry, kitten. Your cousin’ll look out for you. I know it,” Kat promised her baby, although she was a little hurt internally that Cassandra would just openly declared that she did not like her new cousin.

Kat considered that Cassandra might just be a little jealous that she was no longer the baby amongst their family. She was pretty certain that Cassandra would get over that and realize that she had a responsibility to Alexandria, like Isabel had a responsibility to her. Isabel would make sure of that, Kat was confident of that fact.

-*-(New day)-*-

Kat groaned while pouting from her space on the sofa. “I can’t believe I’m not going to get my chance.”

She was sitting on the sofa, in her mother’s house. Yes, she still lived at home. She was in no rush to leave and her mother did not seem to be in a hurry to throw her out, so she was still living in the house. There was plenty of room for her, her mother, and the baby.

“We’ve already been through this. You had bad timing in having Alex,” Isabella remarked as she walked downstairs. She stopped to look down at Alex, who was sleeping in a basinet next to Kat.

“Don’t blame my kitten,” Kat moped collapsing onto the couch to the point where she was lying down.

“I’m not. I’m blaming you,” Isabella pointed out blandly.

Kat stuck her tongue out at her mother. She then flinched and pulled her tongue back into her mouth when her mother cut her a glance and seemed ready to move. Isabella was going to move, to put the blanket over the baby a little more. She smiled a bit and then walked away.

“Damn it,” Kat cursed under her breath as she tried to get heart rate to calm down to normal levels. She was not sure what bothered her more, her mother glaring at her for a second or her mother smiling, even if it was directed toward the baby.

It did not help matters that Kat was upset with her current circumstances. She watched her mother walking around the house, going back and forth from her bedroom to other rooms in the house. Isabella was packing for a trip and getting the house ready for when its sitter showed up.

“Kat, you call your sister?” Isabella called from the kitchen.

“She just called like five minutes ago, Mommy. You going senile already?” Kat countered, sounding close to snippy. It was more something that her big sister would say and she was surprised that it even came out of her mouth. Her mother was caught off guard by it too.

“I see you’re channeling your sister too. Keep it up and I’m going to knock you around like your sister too,” Isabella replied dryly.

Kat pouted. “Being so mean to me,” she grumbled, folding her arms across her chest and huffing slightly.

“Are you ready?” Isabella inquired.

“I’m all packed and hyped to go,” Kat said sarcastically. She was packed, but she was far from hyped in going.

“Yes, you look it,” Isabella commented as she marched back out to the living room.

Kat made a face as her mother started up the stairs. She halted her actions when her mother pointed at her for a second. There were no words exchanged and Isabella did not even turn around to look while pointing at her youngest. The blonde shrank into the sofa, as if she was trying to hide, while Isabella disappeared upstairs. Kat pulled out her cell phone and dialed.

“Iz, where are you?” Kat whined into the phone.

“I’m waiting for Ellie. You know that. I just called and told you that,” Isabel replied, sounding slightly annoyed.

“I think Mommy’s going to cook me and have me for lunch,” the younger sister complained.

“You’re probably getting on her nerves again. Stop taking your frustration out on her.”

“You’re standing up for Mommy?” Kat nearly shouted incredulously. She did catch her tone in time because she did not want to wake up the baby. “How could you pick Mommy over your adoring little sister?”

“I’m not picking her over you. I’ve seen how you act with her lately. You’re more whiny than usual and to make things worse, you’re starting to sound like me when you talk to her, which you know has to piss her off. So, just sit there and shut your mouth for five damn minutes. We’ll be there before you know it,” Isabel promised her sister.

“Oh, please. Ellie drives slower than Grandma!” Kat pointed out.

“Well, we’ll be there sometime before Mommy leaves us,” Isabel remarked.

“Oh, yeah, that’s reassuring,” the younger sister commented sarcastically. “We need to get you a car.”

“I think you’re putting the cart before the horse.”

Kat arched an eyebrow. She really did not have the patience for anything that required thinking right now. “Meaning?”

“You’d get me a car to do what? Look at it? Admire it from my bedroom window?” Isabel inquired, sounding quite cynical as she spoke.

“This is why you’re named after your mother,” Kat deadpanned.

Isabel was frowning and it was clear from her next statement. “And this why you’re there with her by yourself.”

“You’re both bitchy today too.”

“No, I think that would be you. I’ve got to go now. Cass seems to be trying to shove things in the toaster again,” Isabel said.

The sisters hung up without bidding each other far well and Isabel did have to stop Cassandra from trying to mess around with the toaster. Cassandra was now at the curious age of four and always trying to figure out how exactly she could burn the house down as far as her mother could tell; the girl really just wanted to know how a lot of things worked. Once the situation was well in hand and the toaster was back at the back of the counter without cutlery jammed into it, Isabel turned her attention to her young daughter.

“So, you ready to go, boo-boo?” Isabel inquired.

“Yes!” Cassandra replied with enthusiasm. She grinned widely as she answered and pumped her fist in the air with excitement.

“Then where are your shoes, munchkin?” Isabel asked, casting her gaze down to her daughter’s feet.

“Ah!” Cassandra hollered in a panic when she saw that she was just standing there in her socks. She dashed for the stairs, already having been scared by Isabel several times by saying if she was not ready then she was going to get left.

Isabel chuckled a bit as she watched Cassandra barrel downstairs. She did not worry about the girl falling down the stairs or anything. Cassandra always ran down the things anyway, but now she was hustling because she honestly believed that she might be left. Isabel thought that was so cute.

“Now, if only Ellie would show up, so we can get going,” Isabel said to the air.

As if she heard, Ellie did show up a few minutes later. She let herself in, having her own set of keys, and going upstairs. She found Isabel and Cassandra in the living room. Isabel was showing Cassandra a defensive stance.

“Come on, it’s too late to teach her new stuff now,” Ellie said. The mother and daughter turned at the sound of her voice.

“Hi, Aunt Ellie,” Cassandra greeted the brown-haired woman with a small wave. She made sure to stay in her stance, aside for the little movement it took her to wave.

“Ellie, don’t say things like that. You make it sound like I haven’t taught her anything at all,” Isabel pretended pouted.

Ellie rolled her eyes and decided against saying how creepy it was for her friend to even fake moping. “Ready to go?” she asked.

“Yeah, we’re ready. Sweetie, get your bags,” Isabel said to Cassandra.

The girl wasted no time moving out of her stance and going by the couch to pick up a backpack. She also picked up a small duffle bag. She then turned her attention to her mother and her “aunt.” She smiled widely at them, obviously ready to get going.

“You haven’t even told Cass yet, have you?” Ellie asked Isabel while the raven-haired fighter was lifting up the remaining bags, which were three other duffle bags.

“Why do you say that?” Isabel countered with a craned eyebrow.

“She’s way too happy for you to have told her,” Ellie answered as she put a hand on her hip. She was pretty sure that she was the only person that knew the bad news of the day. She wished that she was in the dark like everyone else because her day was ruined. At least the others were blissfully ignorant for the moment.

Isabel only shook her head. She was trying her best to wait until the last moment to drop a bomb on her daughter, as well as her mother and her sister. The only reason that she told Ellie was before hand was because Ellie was her ride.

“You know you owe me big for this,” Ellie said in a heated tone, speaking to Isabel as the trio made their way downstairs and to the car.

Isabel still did not say anything. There was nothing to say. Hell, she felt like she really should apologize to her friend, and later on apologize to her mother, daughter, and sister. Her mother might actually force her to apologize, and that would be if she was lucky.

They piled into the car; Isabel made sure that Cassandra was strapped in tight, even though they did not have a car seat for her. Once Cassandra was all right, Isabel hopped into her seat and they were off. Ellie did not look pleased as she drove, listening to Isabel’s directions as she did so. After a while, they pulled up to a familiar house.

“The hell?” Cassandra muttered when she saw where they were. “Mommy, not Grandma’s house,” she pointed out, finger pressed against the bottom part of the window.

“I know it’s not grandma’s house, sweetheart,” Isabel told her daughter as she got out of the car. She walked to the front door while Cassandra and Ellie fumed in the car. The child had the nerve to have her arms folded across her chest with a scowl on her face that was way too grown for someone her age.

“Aunt Ellie,” Cassandra said as she watched her mother enter the house.

“Yes?” Ellie answered while letting go of the steering wheel. If she kept her hands on it, she thought that she might break it because of the tension that was now overrunning her body.

“Why we here?” Cassandra inquired, speaking with an attitude that did not fit any four-year-old, especially considering where they were.

Ellie sighed, understanding the child’s tone. “We’re picking up your daddy,” she answered honestly.

Cassandra’s frown deepened, almost slicing her face in half. She was scowling to the point where she reminded Ellie of Isabella when she was not pleased with something. It was a sad day, Ellie thought. No child should be upset with the fact that her father was joining her on a special and important trip.

“All right, let’s get going,” Isabel said as she returned with Jason. Isabel hopped in the front seat while Jason sat in the back with their daughter. Isabel would have sat back there, but she knew that there was NO WAY in hell that Ellie would sit next to Jason for any reason.

“You see what you did, right?” Ellie inquired while nodding into the backseat. She was speaking to Isabel.

The taller woman glanced in the back to see what her oldest friend was referring to. She caught sight of her daughter’s expression. Cassandra looked like they were taking her for a trip to the dentist rather than on a trip that she had been looking forward to for the past few days.

“Cass, what’s that face?” Isabel inquired in a stern tone.

“Nothing,” Cassandra grumbled as she turned her head to look out the window, trying to hide her face from her mother.

“No, what’s that face?” she asked again.

“Nothing,” the girl repeated, her expression falling from a frown to a pout. Her eyebrows remained kneaded close together. She was a bit embarrassed that her mother asked her about her expression.

“That’s what I thought. Now, say hi to your daddy,” Isabel instructed Cassandra in a tone that let the child know it was not a suggestion.

“Hi, Daddy,” Cassandra mumbled, turning her head as if she was going to look at him. She kept her gaze down on the floor, though.

“Hey, Cass,” Jason said with almost as much life in his voice as the girl mustered. He glanced down at her.

“Oh, please, Jason, don’t let the girl think you love her or something,” Ellie remarked because she did not like the way he spoke to Cassandra. As twisted as her family life was, Ellie had a damn good father and it rubbed her the wrong way to see how Jason treated Cassandra, especially since she was only four.

“Why don’t you mind your business?” Jason countered.

“Why don’t you get the fuck out of my car?” Ellie huffed. Cassandra’s expression brightened at that suggestion.

“Hey, don’t use that kind of language around Cassandra,” he ordered.

“Fine. How about this, then?” Ellie shot Jason a one finger salute.

“Hey!” he growled in anger. Now, not only were they teaching his daughter foul language, but rude gestures too. He was going to be lucky if Cassandra grew up with any sense of proper behavior, he figured.

Ellie rolled her eyes as she pulled off. She supposed that it was a good thing that Jason cared about what people did around his daughter, but it was not enough for her. It was such a small, petty thing for him to take a stand on in her opinion, especially considering the family that she was born into. A foul mouth was probably in Cassandra’s genes. He needed to work on other things in her opinion, but she was certain that would never happen.

The ride was tense and silent. It felt the like air in the car was threatening to crush them all. Hell, Ellie rolled down the window, as if that might help the situation, but the pressure remained.

Isabel was not even comfortable with the ride and she was the one that set things up. She was not bothered with Jason being there; she was the one that invited him. She was thinking about how her mother and her sister were going to react to his presence.

Jason was trying to figure out what he thought he was doing as the car went closer and closer to the one place he knew for a fact he was not welcomed. He was flattered that Isabel had invited him some place, he reminded himself. When she made the proposal that he join her, he leaped at it without even knowing where she was inviting him. He still did not know much about where they were going. She claimed that it was a “family reunion.” He was not sure if he wanted to meet anymore Hans, but he was flattered that Isabel asked him to come.

Isabel was not sure what had come over her when she asked Jason to join her and Cassandra. She was not sure if she just got caught in one of those “good girlfriend moments” that she had on occasion or if he had done something that put her in a good mood. Whatever the case was, he was coming with them now and she was not bothered by that. She hoped that feeling lasted through the week since that was how long they would be gone.

Cassandra looked up at her father, practically glaring at him. It was clear to the adults in the car that she was actually wondering why the hell her father was there. She then turned her eyes back out of the window before her mother could scold her about her expression again.

They pulled up to Isabella’s house to see Isabella packing up a white mini-van with her things. She turned her attention to the car as it pulled up and frowned deeply as she immediately noticed the odd-man-in, so to speak. What the hell was he doing there?

“Grandma!” Cassandra called as Isabel pulled her out of the car.

The child rushed over to her grandmother, bags still in her hand and on her back. She then embraced her grandmother around the leg. Isabella was taken aback by the very affectionate greeting that she was getting from her granddaughter. She was not sure what to make of that, but her mind decided that it had something to do with that jerk being there.

“Cassie, throw your stuff in the car, okay?” Isabella instructed the child.

“Okay.” Cassandra nodded to further show that she understood. She went to the open back door and carelessly tossed her things in.

Isabella turned her attention to her daughter. “Izzie,” she called in a stern tone that made her child gulp.

“Yes, Mommy?” Isabel replied, sounding quite normal despite the nervous feeling racing through her. She approached her mother, carrying the bags that she had brought from home.

“What the fuck is he doing here?” Isabella demanded to know, tone harsh and displeased. Her face was close to showing her emotions.

“I invited him,” Isabel answered honestly. She secretly took a few breaths to calm herself and she reminded herself that she did invite him. She had made the decision and now she needed to stick by it.

“How the fuck did you invite him without asking anyone else that would have to be in the car with that bastard for almost ten fucking hours?”

“Because I wanted him to come and ten hours in a confined space, we’re just as likely to kill each other as we are him,” Isabel answered logically.

Isabella was stuck for a second. Ten hours in a car was a good way to have her, Isabel, Kat, and Ellie come as close to murdering each other as possible for them. In fact, the only thing that could bring on a more epic battle would be if they were at Isabella’s house and all of them required the single bathroom at the same time. But, that did not mean that they wanted Jason in the car, adding to their foul dispositions as they grew from being trapped in a small area together.

“Izzie, what we do is our own fucking business. We don’t want to be near him for that long in the damn car. You didn’t have any fucking right to invite him along without asking us,” Isabella pointed out. She knew that she raised Isabel better than what her behavior was showing right now and that was just bothering her more.

“I knew what you would’ve said. I want him to come along,” Isabel replied smoothly.

“Well, your opinion isn’t the only one that fucking matters. What the hell is wrong with you? He’s not coming,” Isabella declared as if that was it. Typically, it would be it, but apparently, Isabel wanted to be assertive toward her mother at the moment.

“He is. He’s here and we’re leaving,” Isabel insisted.

“For a heifer that’s not driving any piece of this trip, your ass is making some steep demands,” her mother replied.

“You’re being damn unreasonable. Ellie doesn’t mind that he’s coming.”

“No, Ellie does mind, but she’s being a trooper because she’s your best friend. Don’t confuse the two.”

“Either way, he’s fucking coming. That’s that. He’s going to sit in the back, out of the way, and you don’t even have to think about him,” Isabel stated soundly.

Isabella arched an eyebrow because of the way that her eldest was speaking to her. She frowned slightly and watched for Isabel’s reaction. The younger woman stood firm and appeared stern.

“The first stupid fucking thing that comes out of his mouth, I’m putting his ass out on the side of the road,” her mother stated.

Isabel shrugged. “Fair enough.” Hell, she might be tempted to do the same.

With that settled, Isabel threw her bags in the back of the mini-van. Isabella frowned as she went back into the house to get Kat and Alex. As soon as she was out of Isabel’s range of vision though, she smiled a bit. That elder daughter of hers was something else, she thought. Actually, both of her daughters were something else.

“Kat, move your ass,” Isabella called.

“I’m moving as fast as I can!” Kat replied from upstairs.

“Move your fat ass faster than that, you slug!”

“I’m not fat, Mommy!” Kat hollered in a sob. That was such a low blow from her mother, knowing that she was currently sensitive about her weight and almost everything else in her life at the moment. She was still sporting some extra pounds from her pregnancy, but she was working on getting rid of those.

Isabella chuckled a bit to herself while shaking her head. She guessed that Kat was getting the rest of the baby’s things together. She was right about that. It took Kat a few minutes to come down and see the sight that pissed off her mother.

“What the fuck is he doing here?” Kat demanded to know when she caught sight of Jason. She would have pointed a menacing finger at him, but she had Alex in her arms.

“Coming,” Ellie grumbled as she hopped into the front passenger seat.

“Coming where? Not with us!” Kat proclaimed, not caring how rude she was being at the moment. It was bad enough that she was not going to be able to do anything when they got to their destination, but the fact that he was going to be in the car with them on the way there was too much to bear!

“Yes, with us. Now, just grin and bear it,” Ellie said with a sigh.

“Fuck that! I’m not going anywhere with him!” Kat declared.

“Kat, get your ass in the car!” Isabella commanded.

“Yes, Mommy,” the younger daughter yelped and she leaped into the middle row of the mini-van. She made sure to secure Alex in her baby seat. “Iz!” she called as she started strapping the baby in.

“Yes?” Isabel answered.

“Could you go get my bags for me while I do this?” Kat requested, sounding quite pathetic to make sure that her sister caved quickly.

Isabel was step away from arguing, but then remembered that she was subjecting them all to Jason. She quietly grabbed her sister’s bags from in the house by the door and threw them in the back with everyone else’s things. She then directed Jason into the car as her mother climbed behind the wheel to drive off.

“If you left anything, too late to go back now,” Isabella said as she started the car.

“But, Mommy, we’re still in the driveway,” Kat pointed out to be annoying. She was sitting in the middle row, which only had two seats. Alex was next to her behind the driver seat in her car seat and sucking on her bottle.

“Kat, don’t fucking start with me already,” Isabella warned her youngest as she pulled out of the driveway and then she noticed Ellie reaching for the radio. “And if you dare touch the tunes, Ellie, I’m tearing your damn fingers off.” The hand was withdrawn.

Jason gulped; he had a filling that it was going to be a long ride. Cassandra cheered as they started moving and clutched on to her mother’s arm tightly because of her excitement. Isabel smiled at her daughter and wrapped an arm around the child. Jason was not sure the last time that he saw his family look so happy, especially Cassandra.

“Family reunion!” Cassandra hollered with glee. All of the ladies in the car just smiled, glad that she was so enthused.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: see the family reunion and meet other Hans.


	14. A slice of paradise

Chapter 14: A slice of paradise

When the mini-van pulled up to the hotel that Isabel and her family were staying at, everyone in the mini-van was ready to kiss the ground. They expected that. They knew that a ride for ten hours meant finding strength not to kill each other. It always amazed them that they could manage the feat.

“Ellie, what the fuck was that?” Isabella demanded to know as they all started piling out of the car. She ignored the valet that came over, looking to park the car, and the attendant coming to open her door.

“Goddamn it! I’m fucking driving!” Ellie replied with a twisted expression on her face. She was the one getting out of the driver’s seat because she had been driving for the past couple of hours, which was why she did not want to hear any bitching from Isabella right now.

“Mommy, why don’t you just fucking let it go?” Isabel huffed while trying to pile out of the car, but Kat was moving at the speed of sludge. “Goddamn it, Kat, will you get the fuck out of the way!” she screamed in a fury.

“Seriously! Goddamn it!” Cassandra chimed in, sounding quite like an adult. She was just as angry and annoyed as everyone else and she really wanted to get out of the stupid car. Besides, she liked having an excuse to say “goddamn it.”

“Cass, watch your mouth!” Jason scolded the child with a frown on his face. How a child could curse with such precision and so freely was beyond him.

“Kat, move your fucking ass!” Isabel ordered in an even harsher tone than before, even though it did not seem possible until that moment. It did not even register to her mind that Cassandra swore. She just knew that she and her little one wanted to get out of the damn car and her slow ass sister was holding them up.

“Can you wait a fucking minute?! I need to get the baby!” Kat countered, furiously as she was trying to get her little kitten out of the car seat. “Goddamn it!” she shouted from sheer aggravation.

They all continued on arguing as they made it out of the car. They started pulling out their bags too, even though there were people there to do that for them. They were all just too interested in their hollering at each other to worry about anyone else. The hotel workers wisely stood out of the way and just let them all hound on each other.

“Hey, shut the fuck up!” a voice shouted and the group seemed to know that the order was directed toward them. They all turned to look as their faces fell; all except for Jason anyway since he did not know the person yelling at them.

“Stay the fuck out of our business, Ferdinand!” Isabella hollered at the noisy fellow that dared to interrupt their fight.

“Yeah, stay the fuck out of it, Uncle Ferdinand!” Isabel and Kat chimed in, sounding like clones of their mother.

Ferdinand was standing by the doors of the hotel, about to enter the lavish building. He was Isabella’s little brother. He was a tall fellow with broad shoulders with an athletic build. He was pale just like Isabella, but he had short blonde hair. His eyes were jade and according to some people his eyes sparkled; his family thought the sparkle was evil, but then again, they all assumed that everyone in the family was evil.

“You’re making us look damn bad,” Ferdinand remarked with a taunting smirk on his round face.

“Go the fuck in the hotel, Ferdie!” Isabella shouted heatedly.

“Nosy bitch!” Isabel and Kat added. Ellie threw up a middle finger for good measure. Ferdinand took the hint and went inside the hotel.

The ladies then turned their attention back to each other. They could not entirely recall what they had been hollering at each other about, so they let that go for the moment, all confident that they had gotten their points across anyway. Isabel turned her attention down to Cassandra, who was looking quite confused.

“That was your uncle Ferdinand,” Isabel informed her little girl, thinking that the child was probably perplexed because she did not know who the man was.

“Ferdinand?” Cassandra echoed curiously with an arched eyebrow.

“Yeah, he’s Mommy’s little brother. We’ll introduce you to him and our cousins later on. He’s a good guy,” Isabel promised the child.

“You wouldn’t know it from the way you were just screaming at him,” Jason commented under his breath, but his girlfriend knew just what he said.

Isabel only rolled her eyes. Jason was about to be in for some culture shock at the Han family reunion, she figured. They all gathered their bags and went to check in. They wasted no time in going up to their rooms, happy to be getting away from each other. Luckily, Jason had not done anything to tread on Isabel’s nerves or he would have had to stay in the hall until she calmed down.

“Mommy, we’re going?” Cassandra asked, smiling and sounding quite hopeful. Her eyes even shined a bit as she spoke. Her father wondered what was on her mind to have her like that.

Jason was rather used to seeing Cassandra appear solemn and almost miserable. She looked that way much of the time because she saw him when he was babysitting her and she did not like being around him. He was just too different from what she was used to being, namely he was not Isabel. He always scolded her over silly things that Isabel never brought up and he often did not let her watch the shows on what she felt was her television, if they were at Isabel’s house and in the living room anyway.

“It’s not today, boo-boo,” Isabel said to the child as she opened the door to their room.

Cassandra looked confused; her thin, little raven eyebrows drew closer together, wrinkling her forehead slightly. “Then when?” she asked as she stepped inside.

“Tomorrow. Tonight, we need to get a good night’s sleep and make sure we’re good for tomorrow,” Isabel explained.

Cassandra nodded to show that she understood. Jason wondered what Isabel was talking about, but she did not elaborate. She did turn her attention to him as he stepped into the room. She smiled at him, which he liked.

“We should take a walk or something before tomorrow,” she suggested. She was in one of her strange moods when she wanted to be around Jason in a romantic sense. She guessed that she was feeling so emotion due to the fact that she was about to share something very special with him. Not too many people outside of the Han family had ever been to one of their reunions, after all.

“Okay,” Jason agreed, feeling somewhat like a dumb school boy with the way that she was smiling at him.

“Until then, let’s go get some dinner. We’re not going to be seeing anyone else until tomorrow,” Isabel informed him.

“Okay,” he answered.

“Cass, baby, come on, we’re going out for dinner,” Isabel called to the child, who had already figured out how to turn the television on.

“Dinner?” Cassandra echoed as if she did not know what the meal was.

“Yes, dinner. We need a good dinner for tomorrow, just like we need to get a good night’s sleep. So, come on, little pup,” Isabel urged her daughter in a kind tone that Jason was only vaguely familiar with.

Cassandra did not say anything, just turned off the television. Jason knew that if he had given that order, there would have been a struggle. Cassandra would have argued with him before just ignoring him, much like her mother would do with him.

The little family left the room and went to find a restaurant to eat. Dinner was uneventful and went smoothly. When they got back in, they put Cassandra to bed. Jason saw a rare sight; Isabel actually told a bedtime story to Cassandra. It was a rather unorthodox tale involving ancient soldiers and wizards, but Cassandra just ate it up. She fell asleep as soon as the words “the end” left her mother’s mouth.

Isabel could not help smiling at her sleeping daughter. She leaned down and kissed Cassandra’s forehead; it was about the only time that she could now kiss the girl without having to see her kiss being wiped away. She then made sure that Cassandra was properly covered with the blanket.

“Tomorrow, you’re going to make me proud,” Isabel said to the snoozing child.

“What’s happening tomorrow?” Jason asked curiously because she and Cassandra kept eagerly talking about tomorrow. They seemed quite ready and happy for the family reunion, he thought. Almost unnaturally so.

“You’ll see, dearest. For now, let’s just go out and enjoy the rest of the night,” Isabel replied as she approached her lover. She took his arm and wrapped it around her waist.

Jason nodded dumbly. It had been a long time since Isabel had voluntarily put his arm around her and he was happy that she did it. He pulled her close to her and she put her arms around him. They started for the door and then Jason stopped.

“What’s wrong, dearest?” Isabel asked curiously.

“You’re all right with leaving Cass here by herself?” he asked in a shocked tone.

“She’ll be fine,” Isabel answered with a bright smile. She knew her daughter and in the unlikely event that Cassandra did wake up, the child would just use the phone to call her mother. Yes, Cassandra knew her mother’s cell phone number, as well as the cell phone numbers of every other woman that she made that trip with. She also knew not to make a move until one of those women showed up.

Jason did not argue and they left. Jason ended up having to follow Isabel, who seemed to know the area. She remained close to him and latched on him, but she was leading the way. They strolled through a park, silently and enjoying the wonderful warm night. It was calm and it allowed them to realize why they were still together.

Jason was able to remember that he thought the world of Isabel. She was beautiful, intelligent, and worldly, despite some of the things that she allowed to come out of her mouth. She was an exceptional woman with a lovely and kind side when she wanted to show it. And she was all his.

For Isabel, she remembered that there were times when she could be around Jason and not only refrain from thinking about killing him, but also being at peace thanks to his presence. He made her feel warm inside when he was behaving himself. She felt like everything was right in the world when he was acting right and she really wished that he was that way all of the time. But, no, Jason always had to muck things up by talking or something simple like that. He luckily did not do that then.

“It’s a beautiful night,” Isabel commented.

“Not as beautiful as my company,” Jason remarked with a charming smile.

Isabel probably would have considered his words lame if it was any other time, but she was in a good mood. So, Jason earned a girlish giggle from his usually composed girlfriend. He smiled more, feeling pride and elation swell within him. Their walk went like that for almost an hour before Isabel insisted that they go back.

“I need to get in some good sleep,” Isabel said.

“Why? You make it seem like this family reunion is going to wipe you out,” he commented.

“They usually do. That’s why we only hold them every five years,” she replied with an almost cunning smirk on her face.

Jason did not understand the expression, but something inside of him decided to be nervous. He then seemed to realize that he was actually going to meet most of Isabel’s family tomorrow. Now, he had considered that before, but only thought of it in a conventional method.

At first, Jason thought that it was a large step in their relationship for Isabel to not only invite him some place, but for that some place to be a family reunion. He thought that it meant that she wanted to be closer to him and she was trying to open up to him. He believed that to be outstanding, but now he was digging deeper.

He was going to meet people that Isabel more than likely fit in with, people that more than likely caused Isabel to be how she was. It would be like meeting her mother, but on a much grander scale. The thought was damn near frightening to the point that he considered backing out at the last minute, but he knew better than to show any sign of weakness around the Han women.

They retired for the night, curling up in the bed next to Cassandra’s. The girl was still knocked out when they came in, as Isabel knew she would be. Isabel was just the same almost as soon as she hit the pillow. Jason was left up, worrying about what new hell tomorrow would bring.

-*-(Next day)-*-

“Dearest,” Isabel whispered in the ear of her sleeping boyfriend.

Jason grumbled and turned over onto his side, putting his back to Isabel. She laughed a bit; she was in too good a mood for his rudeness to get to her. She only whispered into his ear again.

“Leave him,” Cassandra urged her mother.

“Now, now, boo-boo. We’re not leaving your Daddy. That’s not fair to him,” Isabel chastised the child.

“But, I wanna go now!” Cassandra whined.

Isabel gave her daughter a stern look, which was enough to chase away the four-year-old. Cassandra went to watch television while her mother tried to wake up her father. Cassandra was ready for her day, already dressed. She was wearing a lime green short sleeve t-shirt that fit her like a glove. Her pants were black and stopped just below her knees. She had on matching slip-on sneakers. She was ready to go.

“Dearest, if you’re not up, we’re going to just leave you sleeping,” Isabel informed Jason as she shook him.

Jason grumbled, but then he realized that was going on. He sat up to see Isabel fully clothed, wearing a white sleeveless compression shirt and black capri pants. He yawned and rubbed his eye.

“What time is it?” he asked curiously. He felt like it was still early.

“Six,” Isabel answered lightly with a shrug.

“In the morning?” he practically shouted.

“Yeah, we’re late. So, come on,” Isabel said with more pep than he was used to. It did not help matters that she slapped him on the butt rather hard to get him to move.

Jason jumped up out of bed, yelling as he did so. Isabel ignored his holler and shooed him into the shower. The mother and daughter waited for Jason to get ready, which actually took more time than either of them liked. They just took it differently with Cassandra getting grumpier by the second while Isabel was still quite bubbly, feeling like it was her time to shine.

“Go now?” Cassandra begged to know as Jason walked out of the bathroom, fully dressed in a plain blue polo shirt and dark blue jeans.

“You know it, little pup,” Isabel smiled.

Cassandra grinned widely and raced to the door. She yanked the door open for her parents, causing Isabel to smile while Jason wondered why the girl was in such a hurry to go somewhere at six in the morning. The girl raced off ahead of them, going down the carpeted hall to the elevator.

“What’s with her?” Jason asked Isabel; he had to fight back a yawn while doing so.

“She’s excited,” Isabel simply answered. She was happy just to see that Cassandra was so eager to get to the event.

“About a family reunion?” he inquired in quite the puzzled tone. He did not understand why the girl was so happy about just meeting her family.

Cassandra pushed the button for elevator, which came as soon as her parents were there. They got on the elevator and Cassandra pressed the button for the lobby. They walked down the hall and Jason could hear a roar of people. Isabel did not react, but Cassandra bolted off.

“Cassie!” Jason called to the child.

“Leave her be. She’ll be fine,” Isabel assured him.

Cassandra disappeared around a corner. Jason was going to say something, but Isabel did not open her mouth. Jason wondered what was going on. _Why was Cassandra so gleeful? And why the hell was Isabel dressed the way that she was?_ Jason was used to seeing Isabel in her trendy semi-formal fashion, but she was not dressed like that now. He was not sure what to make of it.

Jason did not ask anything about it as they rounded a corner and went through some double doors. They ended up outside in a yard that was full of people. He had no idea where Cassandra had gone off.

“Izzie!” a bright voice called, causing Isabel’s head to whip around.

“Goddamn it, Cleo!” Isabel hollered, smiling as she spoke. A woman walked up to her and they embraced tightly, both of them grinning up a storm. She was in such high spirits to see the woman that she did not even really care that she had been addressed in her much-hated nickname.

“You know I’m kicking your ass today,” the woman, Cleo, declared with a grin as they pulled away from each other. Cleo was a creamy tan complexion and almost the same height as Isabel, but off by a couple of inches. She had short black hair that was pulled into a tight ponytail at the nape of her neck and light grey eyes. She was dressed in a dark blue tank top that hugged her chest slightly with some white pants that came from a karate gi.

“In your dreams, cousin. Where’s Ti?” Isabel asked curiously, glancing around over the top of the other woman’s head.

“I think she picked up your baby. And you know we knew it was your baby because she looks just like you. So, don’t deny it,” Cleo replied with a teasing expression.

“I’m not going to deny it. That’s my little cub. Isn’t she cute?” Isabel sounded and looked so proud of her child.

“Damn cute. Ti might take her home,” Cleo remarked and then she noticed Jason. “If you’re that baby’s father, you need to be mad at Isabel for pushing all of her genes and leaving yours out.”

“Um…” Jason was not sure what to say.

“Are you the father?” Cleo asked curiously because of his lack of response. She supposed that she could be wrong, but she knew that Isabel was not like Kat, so it was not likely that she did not know who fathered her child or that she just let the guy out of her life.

“I am,” Jason confirmed.

“Okay then! I’m Isabel’s cousin, Cleopatra Han,” the tanned woman introduced herself, putting out a hand. She seemed quite excited, which was something that Jason noticed.

“Jason Gooding,” he introduced himself, almost as if he was uncomfortable with things. His face was scrunched up on one side, making his expression made his tone.

“Cleo, where is your sister with my baby?” Isabel inquired, scoping the floor once again.

“She’s wandering around here with her. She might try to take her home, so be careful, cuz. That kid is too cute. Now, what’s this I hear about Kat having a baby too?” Cleo countered.

“Kat’s got a tiny little kitten, almost a year old. She might be letting her wander around right now. And when are you going to start having some kids? Cass and Alex need friends,” Isabel commented.

Cleo rolled her eyes. “I’ve got to get Jin to stop fucking around. He’s such a fucking baby. I can’t have a baby with a guy that’s like two years old himself.”

Isabel now rolled her eyes. “I happen to like Jin and I don’t think you should talk about him like that. He’s a good fucking guy and you need to have a baby with him before he wises up and gets the fuck out of dodge.”

“Shut up,” Cleo said, laughing betraying her mood.

Isabel laughed a bit herself and then moved on to go mingle. Jason looked around and saw that he was at the most diverse family reunion that he ever witnessed. He might as well have been in the United Nations, he thought. He was surprised by that because he thought that the Hans would be closed-minded and closed off. He came to that conclusion just from the fact that Isabella and Kat did not like him and he envisioned himself as quite the perfect guy.

“Ti!” Isabel called as she spotted her other cousin, who was holding Cassandra in her arms.

“Iz!” the woman spun around to face Isabel. She was close to being a chocolate complexion with messy blonde hair. She was as tall as Isabel with more defined muscles, which could be seen from her sleeveless white compression shirt and knee-length navy blue shorts. She was not wearing any footwear. Her blue eyes lit up when she spotted the cream-skinned female.

“Cass, I see you’ve met your cousin Nefertiti. Ti, did you introduce her to your father?” Isabel asked.

“If I could find Daddy, I would. I think he might be trying to kill Philip,” Ti answered.

“I’m surprised Philip is still alive for someone here to kill him. Shit, if Uncle Ferdinand doesn’t get him…” Isabel started, knowing that her cousin would fill in the rest of that.

“Aunty Isabella will definitely fuck him up. Hey, have you heard this shit that Catherine’s pulling?” Ti asked.

Isabel shook her head, knowing which “Catherine” that Nefertiti was referring to even though there were more than a dozen of them wandering around in their family. They got into family gossip, having fun just talking about everyone around. It was one of the few times that Isabel would even think to gossip.

Jason was stunned already, watching Isabel interacting with her cousin and seeing what the Han family consisted of. But, something even stranger, in his opinion happened after a few minutes. A small woman with short blonde hair wandered over and attached herself to Ti’s waist. She shamelessly rubbed her peach cheek into Ti’s upper arm with a delighted glint in her hazel brown eyes.

“Hey, sweetie, you see our new daughter?” Ti asked the newcomer while bouncing Cassandra in her arms. The newcomer laughed.

“I get the feeling we’ll have take Iz out early to pull that one off,” she remarked with an amused smile.

“Hell, yeah, you would. Nobody’s taking my bug, right, boo-boo?” Isabel said while reaching out to caress Cassandra’s head. Cassandra nodded, agreeing with her mother.

“Aw, but I want her, Izzie!” Ti pretended to whine, clutching the child just a little tighter.

“You need to talk to your girlfriend here about that. Cass is mine. You two go make your own baby,” Isabel remarked.

The short blonde scoffed. “I’m not taking care of a baby, so Ti is on her own with that shit. Or, we could kick your ass and steal Cass since she’s out of the baby stage and I’m sure she’s well trained.”

“Shortbread, you don’t want to know what the hell I will do to you if you ever seriously think about taking my baby,” Isabel replied.

“Whatever, Iz. I’ll kick your ass in a little while anyway.”

“Oh, so you’re in this year?” Isabel asked curiously.

“Yeah, I’m in. Last time, fucking around with Ti and her ‘it was an accident’ bullshit didn’t happen this time,” the woman, whose name was Shortbread, replied.

“Don’t try to blame that shit on me, Shortbread. Man, I’m not even trying to hear your bullshit, actually. Come on, Cass. I’ve got to show you to my mommy!” Ti squealed, hugging Cassandra before walking off.

“Go follow your girl, you know you want to,” Isabel told Shortbread.

“I’ll check you in a little while. I’m definitely fucking you up this year,” Shortbread said, pointing at the taller woman, and that was her farewell to Isabel. She then followed behind Nefertiti.

“Um…Iz…” Jason finally said as they were somewhat on their own. There were still a bunch of people around, but they were not paying the couple any mind.

“Yes, dearest?” Isabel replied, turning her full attention to her boyfriend.

“Who was that?” he asked curiously.

“That was my cousin Nefertiti. Everyone just calls her Ti. She’s Cleo’s older sister. They’re my Uncle Ferdinand’s daughters. Shortbread is Ti’s girlfriend. She used to be a part of some gang or something and that’s how she got the name Shortbread. I’ll introduce you to their mother if we run into her,” Isabel explained as if that information was nothing.

Jason’s head was spinning just from that information alone, so he did not even hear anything about being introduced to Nefertiti and Cleo’s mother. The first thing was that Isabel pretty much confirmed that her cousin was a lesbian and said lesbian had just walked off with their daughter after claiming that she was going to kidnap Cassandra. He never thought that the Han family would allow for homosexuals in their group; it actually would have been something that he would have agreed with.

Yet, Isabel was totally comfortable with her cousin and her cousin’s girlfriend. Almost like it was normal, Jason thought. Obviously, it was not normal to him and he was already making a mental note to avoid Ti. He also figured that he knew who to blame if his daughter grew up anything but normal.

Beyond that, Jason had to get it around his head that Isabel just easily allowed their daughter to go off with a lesbian that she admitted used to be a gang member. Now, to him that was a bad thing. It did not seem to be the same to Isabel, though.

And the last thing that stuck out in Jason’s mind was Ti’s complexion as well as Cleo’s complexion. Isabel said that they were her uncle’s children, the uncle that he had already seen. Ferdinand was pale as milk, like Isabella and Isabel, yet his daughters were shades of brown. Apparently, the U.N. look was more than just a look for the Han family; they were seriously that open to anyone in their family. So, he wondered why the hell Isabella and Kat hated him so much.

“Uh-oh, grandma,” Isabel whispered to herself and ducked behind Jason to hide. She then pulled him away before she was spotted. She was not the only one ducking out of the line of sight.

Jason wondered what the hell was going on as Isabel tugged him deeper into the crowd. He noticed the few other people skulking around like Isabel, including her own mother. A lot people were trying hard not to be seen by Isabel’s grandmother. The elder woman did not seem to be paying too much attention to them as she made her way through the crowd to the front of the area.

“Hello, Han family,” the senior Isabella greeted everyone. “And little Izzies stop skulking like that!”

Isabel, her mother, and five other women in the crowd stopped moving; they were all “little Izzies” at some point in their lives. “You didn’t say anything about the Kats!” they all hollered.

“Everyone be still so we can get this started!” the senior Isabella ordered and she got her wish in less than five seconds.

“Get what started?” Jason asked Isabel curiously.

“Well, the reason why we can only do this every five years,” Isabel replied.

“Let’s get this tournament started!” the senior Isabella announced and the family erupted into cheers, even the little kids.

“It’s always fun, especially when somebody gets hurt,” Isabel remarked with a smile. The tournament was the reason that she had been in such a good mood and why Cassandra had been so hyped. They could not wait for things to start.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: so, let’s see a Han family tournament.


	15. Into the fire

Chapter 15: Into the fire

Jason was at a loss for what was going on around him. He thought that he was at a regular family reunion, even though it did involve the Han family; and the family was something quite different from what he expected. Now, he knew that the Han family would probably be full of temperamental people, which he was finding to be the case considering the foul language and harsh tones going on around him, but there were plenty of things that he did not expect.

Jason had not expected the Han family to consist of pretty much any and every ethnicity that he could think of, and plenty that he could not think of. He was not even sure of the ethnicities of some people. Hell, he was barely sure of Isabel’s ethnicity anymore; not that he ever really knew “what” she was, just assuming based on her pale skin.

He also unaware of who married into the family or not because everyone was walking around with the last name “Han” as if it was a privilege to carry the surname, he noted. There were surprisingly, to him anyway, quite a few openly homosexual couples walking around; it was seriously not something he expected to see in the Han family based on the few Hans that he knew. He just could not picture Isabella or Isabel tolerating same-sex relationships, for some reason.

And the weirdest thing that seemed to be happening, in his opinion anyway, was that the so-called family reunion was turning into a tournament of some kind. He had a feeling that it was going to turn into some sort of fighting match, considering he knew that was Isabel’s favorite pastime as well as her mother, sister, and best friend. He could not believe that they were seriously about to do such a thing. As far as he knew, fighting tournaments only happened in movies.

“Mommy!” Cassandra called as she dashed over to both of her parents. She did not pay her father any mind, though.

“Come on, boo-boo. I’ll get you ready,” Isabel said to her child, knowing why Cassandra had come back to her, even though the girl seemed to be getting along quite well with their cousins.

Jason was confused, wondering what Isabel had to get their daughter ready for. The pair walked off with Jason trailing behind them. They walked off into another, adjacent room. Jason was surprised to see what was in the large hall; six roped off boxing rings.

“What the hell is going on?” Jason wondered while continuing to follow behind the mother and daughter.

“Hey, Helena,” Isabel greeted a tall woman, who was standing by one of the rings with a clipboard in hand.

“Isabel, I heard you had an entry for this one,” the woman, Helena, commented with a surprisingly bright smile. She was cheerful looking woman with very short black hair that fell mostly in front of her face. She was a chocolate-skinned woman with an Asian appearance to her.

“This is my little boo-boo. She’s going to win, right, precious?” Isabel asked Cassandra, smiling down at the child. Cassandra nodded confidently, affirming her mother’s words. The two just beamed with pride.

“And she’s going to win the other one,” Cassandra added in, pointing to her mother.

“I’ll think about you winning, but I think I might have something to say about this one doing anything,” Helena replied to Cassandra while pointing to Isabel.

“Of course my mommy’s gonna win,” Cassandra informed the other woman quite seriously. She could not see why someone would even think otherwise.

Isabel smiled again. “See, Helena, my little one knows everything. Don’t try to discourage her, especially when it’s a known fact that I’m going to kick your ass.”

“Iz, I’ve been training my ass for the last five years while you’ve obviously been busy with other things. I don’t think this is going to end the way it usually does,” Helena argued with a cocky smirk on her face.

“You say that now. Anyway, what’s the rules for this? Am I supposed to be wrapping my little bug up or something?” Isabel asked curiously.

“We’d like for all the kids under eight to have a helmet and pads. You have to wrap her hands and feet and then put the pads on,” Helena explained, motioning with her hand to the place all of those items were waiting.

Cassandra frowned. “I don’t want no fucking pads.”

“Cass!” Jason started to admonish the child, but his girlfriend would not even let him get that far.

Isabel rubbed her baby’s head and smiled once more. “You have to follow the rules if you want to fight in the tournament,” she reminded the girl.

Cassandra pouted as if she had just been told the worst news of all time. She folded her arms across her chest and her pout quickly transformed into a scowl. Helena could not help smiling because Cassandra was like a mini-version of Isabel in her opinion, not just in looks, but in expressions. The difference being that Cassandra was quite cute.

“Wait, what do you mean tournament?” Jason asked Isabel in quite the confused tone. His face matched his voice. His question drew attention to him.

“Is this the daddy?” Helena asked curiously. Cassandra rolled her eyes while her mother took care of answering the question.

“Yes, this is him,” Isabel replied.

“Oh! Is he fighting?” Helena inquired with a sparkle in her eyes and a cheery grin on her face. Just thinking about getting to the point of the gathering was starting to hype her up, but then again, it was doing that to everyone involved.

Isabel snorted. “I doubt it,” she answered. Jason, despite his size, was not really a fighter as far as she knew. Also, he had no idea that they were about to have a tournament anyway.

“What are you two even talking about?” Jason inquired, sounding almost in a panic. He hoped that they were not talking about what it sounded like what they were talking about. They had better not be implying that they were going to suit his little girl up and put her in a ring to fight with other kids!

“The tournament, duh,” Cassandra said in a cold voice while cutting her jade eyes toward her father.

“Iz, you better start getting her ready. She’s going to need to pick a number and everything. I mean, we’ve got a lot of midgets taking part in this and then we still have the ten to fifteen year-olds that need to get to it, so we can get to the real deal,” Helena commented.

“Right. Come on, champ. Let’s get you suited up,” Isabel said, rubbing her child’s head again.

“Everything you need is right over there in the corner,” Helena pointed out once again. “When you’re done with that, just come over here so you can pick the number and we can hopefully get this to be more organized than it was the last time we tried it.”

“Gotcha.”

“Isabel, what’s going on?” Jason inquired as he followed Isabel and Cassandra over to a table to pick up pads and a helmet.

“Like the baby said, it’s a tournament,” Isabel said while looking over all of the different pads and helmets that were there.

“What kind of tournament? I thought you said it was a family reunion,” Jason pointed out, sounding almost as if he was accusing her of something. She ignored that, though; she was in too good of a mood to let him bring her down.

“It is. A Han family reunion is a tournament. First we let the little ones fight, four through nine. Then the ten through fifteen year-olds get to go at it while anyone sixteen and up gets to fight. Three champs get bragging rights for five years until the next family reunion,” Isabel explained, still inspecting the pads.

“That’s…”

Isabel turned to her boyfriend as soon as he opened his mouth, which was why he trailed off. Her glare made his blood run colder than usual. There was a dark glint in her eyes, daring him to insult her family tradition. He gulped and took a few deep breaths, hoping that his mind would offer up something that would get him out of his current situation.

“This is a very important event to us. Usually, if your last name isn’t Han, you can’t even get in the door,” Isabel informed her boyfriend, implying that he should feel lucky to even be there.

Jason decided not to say anything. He thought it was silly, especially considering how important Isabel was trying to make a little tournament seem. He doubted that they were even real fighters; he had never seen Isabel in action, only heard her and her family talk a big game. It was probably all just some big game that they played, he convinced himself.

“Hey, how about this, munchkin?” Isabel asked while holding up a black padded helmet for Cassandra along with other pads of the same color.

“Okay,” the child agreed with a nod.

Isabel suited Cassandra up with her protective gear. She fitted the helmet first, then gloves, and some cushions for her little feet. They went and picked a number of her. Then there was the damned waiting, they both thought with similar frowns cutting across their pale features.

-8-8-8-8-

Jason was a bit confused as to what was going on as people started gathering around rings to watch the fighting start. There were no chairs; everyone was standing. Small children had the privilege of sitting on shoulders to make sure that they got a good view. There was no shortage of shoulders of youngsters either.

“Mommy, who’s baby is that?” Isabel asked curiously as her mother made her way over to her.

Isabella was carrying a toddler on her shoulders. The child was a small boy who could not be any older than two. He had long blonde and brown hair that hung freely down his back. His eyes were a pale blue, almost like a grey. He was quite pale, like Isabella and her eldest.

“Huang went and had a son,” Isabella informed her daughter as if it was trivial news.

“No kidding. And here it is people are treating me like I’m weird,” Isabel commented and turned her attention to the little boy who was parked so comfortably on probably the most dangerous person in the whole place. She reached up and offered her hand. “I’m your cousin Isabel. What’s your name?” she asked.

“Temujin,” he answered quite proudly as he reached out and shook her hand.

Isabel smiled warmly. “I should’ve known.”

“You think this is crazy, he’s got little twin sisters,” Isabella added in.

“That explains why you’re walking around with him,” Isabel commented.

Isabella nodded. “He wants to see the action. Let’s get a good spot. I want to see the action too.”

Isabel nodded in agreement. They found Ellie and Kat and stood with them. Kat was holding her kitten on her shoulders too. Isabel was ready to focus on the ring, but she felt a tug at her pants’ leg. She looked down and saw a child at her knee.

“Up?” the little girl requested, holding up her arms.

“Of course,” Isabel answered with another warm smile. Jason was taken back by her expression and her open kindness toward the little girl.

Isabel wasted no time bending down and picking the child up. She put the little girl on her shoulders. She did not even know who the girl was yet.

“Hey, who’s your mommy and daddy?” Isabel asked curiously once the child was secure on her.

The little girl made herself comfortable on Isabel before answering. She leaned on her elbows on Isabel’s head, which earned her a smile instead of a reprimand. She tried to look down into Isabel’s eyes to answer, but she was too small to crane her neck that much.

“My daddy’s name is Arthur,” the child finally replied.

“No kidding. Which Arthur?” Isabel asked curiously. There were about a dozen “Arthurs” in their family the last time she checked. Either way, she was the girl’s cousin, but she was curious as to which Arthur because they were all quite different creatures.

“He’s got a big mark on his face,” the girl explained.

“Oh, I know which one then. Oh, you’re a lucky kid, then,” Isabel informed the child.

“Thanks. I like my daddy,” she declared with a grin. “I’m Elizabeth.”

“Of course. I’m Isabel, your cousin,” she introduced herself while putting up a hand for the girl to shake.

The child smiled and shook her hand. Jason was so stunned by how openly friendly Isabel was being. He did not even want to think about how nice Isabella was being, carrying around a child on her shoulders. Everything seemed so strange; he did not know what to make of it.

Jason did not have too much time to think on things because the tournament got underway. There was a fight in all six rings, which could be a problem for a person with more than one child in the tournament. Isabel and her crew were fine since they just wanted to see Cassandra. She was in the ring that they were standing by.

“Go get ‘em, bug!” Isabel cheered, losing herself in her joy and shouting loudly with a happy grin.

“Kick ass!” Kat called to her niece.

“You’d better win or you have to walk home!” Isabella told Cassandra, which got the girl’s attention. She apparently would not put it passed her grandmother to make her walk home.

“We could make Jason walk with her,” Ellie suggested.

Cassandra looked horror-stricken by that and shot at her opponent when the bell was rang. She was taking on a boy that was twice her age and about twice her size. She did not even think about that. She had one thought on her mind.

 _I’m not walking anywhere with that man!_ Cassandra growled mentally as her gloved-fist smashed against the boy’s cheek.

Cassandra had excellent form for a child her age, the audience noted, but they expected no less from Isabel’s daughter and Isabella’s granddaughter. She was so serious as she threw that one punch, which sent her foe flying back. He landed against the ropes and then crashed into the floor. He did not get back up and the most of the crowd cheered.

“One hit wonder,” Kat muttered in an impressed voice.

“That’s my little bit,” Isabel declared proudly, hitting herself in the chest a few times.

Cassandra smiled as she looked out into the audience. She could not believe that they were applauding her just for doing something that felt natural to her. It was almost like they were cheering her for being able to walk.

She caught sight of her immediate family, all of whom were cheering; well, everyone except Jason. Jason just looked like he was in shock, but Cassandra ignored him. She could not help smiling as her mother, grandmother, and two aunts (she considered Ellie her aunt) cheering for her. She felt something swelling in her chest, pride.

“What the hell was that?” Jason mumbled to himself in disbelief. He could not believe people were cheering because two children were just fighting. To top things off, they were cheering because one of the kids was on the floor and the other one put him there.

“Keep it up, bug,” Isabella said to Cassandra as the girl walked over.

“I don’t have to walk home with Daddy, right?” Cassandra asked to be sure. She looked so panicked, her eyes wide and her mouth turned down into a pout.

“Of course not,” Isabel answered while reaching up to caress her daughter’s head, despite the padded helmet. Cassandra breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well, not now anyway,” Isabella remarked.

Cassandra’s eyes went wide again. “What the hell do you mean by that?” she begged to know.

“It means go in there and kick some ass or you’ll be chasing our fucking bumper home,” Isabella answered with a serious glint in her eyes.

“Mommy!” Isabel huffed.

Cassandra wailed as she went into her next fight. She could not believe how mean her grandmother was! It was one thing to tell her that she would have to walk home, but to make her walk home with her father was just plain evil in her opinion anyway.

“You know, when you were four you used to fall for this one too, Izzie,” Isabella said to her eldest.

“Mommy, that’s not even funny,” Isabel replied. She recalled being terrorized with such words, except hers did not involve going with her father. She doubted that she had been as horrified as her little bit was.

“I never said it was meant to be,” Isabella commented dryly.

“Then stop laughing on the inside,” Isabel ordered through gritted teeth.

Isabella merely smirked and then turned her attention back to Cassandra. The child was ready to go her next opponent with all of her fury just like before. The outcome was not quite the same.

Cassandra’s opponent that time around was more skillful and less panicky than her first opponent. Her charge was dodged, as was her punch. She was then countered with a kick to the ribs and since her foe was larger than she was, she went flying back.

“What the?” Jason muttered in disbelief as he watched his daughter in what seemed to be a dangerous situation. He turned to Isabel, thinking the typically overprotective mother would say something. He was shocked to see her smiling slightly.

“I think the munchkin’s met her match already,” Ellie commented dryly. She too had a child parked on her shoulders. The little boy was quite engrossed with the battle that was taking place.

“David’s gotten much better,” Kat replied, referring to the boy that her niece was going up against.

“One can only expect as much from Jane’s son,” Isabel said.

“Oh, please. I could rock two of Jane, so I doubt she’s got anything to do with what we’re looking at,” Ellie countered while rolling her eyes.

The three young women could have continued going back and forth, but Cassandra got back up and went back at the boy that she was battling. She went at him with a near-perfect kick. It was lovely in form and done with precision, unfortunately, he saw it coming almost as soon as she started it.

The boy, David, put his forearm in the way of Cassandra’s leg to prevent her from kicking his in the shoulder. He shoved her away and then went at her while she was off-balance. He wasted no time punching her on her pale cheek.

“Cass!” Jason gasped in a low tone. He glared at Isabel. “Stop this is insanity,” he ordered her.

Isabel glanced at him and arched an eyebrow. “Stop this? I could sooner stop the Earth from orbiting the sun,” she informed him.

“This is barbaric,” he hissed, knowing better than to say that louder.

Jason did say it loud enough to earn a slap. Elizabeth reached down and bopped his hard on the head. He looked offended by the heavy hit. He pointed to the child.

“Do you see what all this violence is doing? The kids are out of control,” he huffed.

Isabel’s glance quickly transformed into her patented “death glare.” It was a look that Jason knew well. It was a look that told him to shut his mouth or she would shut it for him in a very unpleasant way. He gulped and decided to stop talking for the moment. Once Isabel was certain that Jason was not about to insult her family again, she turned her attention back to her daughter.

“Come on, bug! Don’t let that goon manhandle you!” Isabel cheered.

Cassandra did go back at David, who took the four-year-old quite seriously, even though he was nine. He did not talk to her, but he noted that she packed some power for someone so small. He focused on taking her down, just like she focused on taking him down.

Cassandra grunted as David blocked her attack again and then countered. He did a spin kick that sent her across the large ring. She hit the deck and rolled, settling on her side by the ropes. She searched the crowd, focusing on her mother.

“Get up,” Isabel ordered almost coldly as a countdown began.

“It hurts…” Cassandra whispered.

“Get up,” Isabel commanded again in a growl.

Cassandra nodded and got up before the count was finished. “You can shut the fuck up now,” the child said to the referee. She sounded like a grown woman making that order.

“Oh, this is so Izzie’s baby,” the referee muttered while stepping away to let the kids have their space.

David seemed a bit surprised that Cassandra was getting back up. He got back into his fighting stance as she came at him with more gusto than before. Her punches came quicker and more forceful. He dodged until one of her punches actually landed. He hollered from anger and also as a battle cry.

Cassandra was pretty sure that she had never been hit so hard in her short life; she was quite right. David’s foot crashed against her ribs again and sent her flying across the ring once more. She tumbled, feet over head, several times before she stopped at the edge of the ring. Her arm dangled outside of the ropes. She was vaguely aware of a countdown starting.

“Mommy…” Cassandra muttered as she tried to keep her head up, hoping to scan the audience for her mother.

“Get up,” Isabel ordered, hiding the hope in her voice. She was staring at her child, who was only a few feet from her.

“Mommy…” the four-year-old practically whimpered.

“Get up,” Isabel demanded.

Cassandra’s face tensed up. She commanded her body to stand up, but it refused to listen. She wished that she could punch the floor, but she could not even pick her fist up. She frowned deeply.

“Mommy…” the girl whined in a low tone.

“Round to David!” the referee announced while holding up the boy’s arm.

“Damn it!” Cassandra screamed when she heard that she lost.

The little girl wanted to cry; she lost. She was going to have to walk home. Her grandmother was going to make her walk home…with her father! And worst of all, her mother was probably going to disown her.

“No!” Cassandra hollered in a loud voice.

“Wow, she even cries like you,” Ellie commented, cutting her best friend a glance.

“El, I will fucking knock you the fuck out before the tournament even starts, so don’t fucking start with me or my little bit,” Isabel threatened with a frown.

Ellie did not say anything in response. Isabel had to slide Elizabeth off of her shoulders and told the girl to go look for any other unoccupied adult, which Elizabeth readily did. Isabel knew that anyone would help Elizabeth see the rest of the matches. She had something more important to do.

Isabel carefully collected her baby from the edge of the ring. Cassandra did not even look at her mother. The child was not really sure what to do. It baffled her as to why her mother was even bothering to pick her up.

“She made it further than you did your first year,” Isabella said to her eldest, a teasing glint in her deep cerulean eyes. “Maybe she’ll be the one that beats me, eh?”

Isabel frowned. “By this time tonight, you’ll be a past thought. It’s my time,” she promised her mother before walking off. Jason followed quietly behind her.

“Mommy…” Cassandra whispered in a low, almost scared down as she clutched her mother desperately while being carried away.

“Yes, sweetie?” Isabel asked curiously.

“I’m sorry,” the child apologized.

Isabel smiled softly. “And what are you sorry for?”

“I lost…easily,” Cassandra pointed out, as if her mother had not witnessed the while thing.

Isabel’s smile did not falter. “It’s fine, boo-boo. You’re young and inexperienced. David’s been in the tournament before. And he’s five years older than you are. He’s over twice your age.”

“Doesn’t make losing better,” the child grumbled. It did not make the throbbing pain go away either, she noted.

Isabel looked away for a moment. “No, I don’t suppose it does,” she admitted. “But, let’s get you cleaned up and you can watch the other matches. We’ll even get you some candy to celebrate your first victory.”

“And my first loss.”

“Well, there will be others. This is the path we walk to become stronger. You can’t win every time.”

Cassandra’s brow furrowed, her little pale forehead wrinkling from the move. She did not understand. Was it acceptable to lose? That did not make any sense. She was supposed to win. Her mommy told her so. She was a winner.

Isabel carried Cassandra to a nearby restroom and splashed some water on the child’s face. She also stripped Cassandra of all of her padding. She was glad that the girl was wearing it now, even though it had not protected the places that David had attacked most. Cassandra was more than likely going to be a very sore child in the morning.

“Okay, let’s go back in there and watch. Right?” Isabel asked. She could understand if the child had no desire to go back in there. After all, she was not fighting anymore.

“Yes,” Cassandra answered with a serious nod.

Isabel could not help smiling again. “That’s the Han spirit.”

The mother and daughter exited the bathroom and were about to return to the action, but Jason stopped Isabel. He took her by the shoulder and Cassandra immediately noticed that her mother was no longer walking beside her. She turned around to see her parents facing each other.

“What?” Isabel asked in annoyed tone. Her mind was really demanding to know why the hell she even brought Jason in the first place. He was going to totally fuck her head up for just about the most important even in her life…and then she would have to eat him. Yup, she was definitely going to have to eat him, she concluded. What kind of dessert would one have after eating a pain-in-the-ass?

“How could you subject our child to this? That’s our child,” Jason stated as if she did not know that while pointing to Cassandra.

“No shit. I never would’ve guessed,” she replied sarcastically.

“Then why would you put her into such a spectacle?” he demanded to know, glaring down on her.

Isabel craned an eyebrow to his stare. Hmm, it seemed he wanted to have a little contest, trying to assert his alpha-male status once again. Well, it was time to shut that down, she figured. She returned his look ten-fold. A couple of seconds passed between them, but it seemed like several eternities to him. He blinked.

“I’ll tell you this one more time and then if you judge what we do here, you’re free to leave. This is something that’s very important to my family. It is important to me and it’s important to her. I don’t expect you to understand it, but don’t judge us. If you can’t take it, if you don’t want to be a part of this, leave,” Isabel said in a dead serious tone.

Jason was not sure what to say. He was not sure what to make of the “family reunion,” but he knew that he did not like it. He mostly kept his mouth closed now because he knew that Isabel would hurt him if did not considering the harsh glare in her eyes and the edge in her tone. It never occurred to him that Isabel was trying to share something special with him. Not just her family traditions, but also what she was so certain would be her big moment. She actually thought that she would be sharing the highlight of her life with him and their daughter.

“Come on, bug. Let’s leave daddy alone for a while,” Isabel said as she went and grabbed her daughter by the hand.

“Is he gonna hafta walk home?” Cassandra asked curiously.

“Maybe.”

Cassandra nodded to that answer. “And I won’t hafta walk with him, right?” she inquired, worry buried in her throat.

“Nope.”

Cassandra grinned. She turned around to look at her father and just blatantly waved goodbye to him. She figured that it would be a much better trip home without him in the car. For her, that slightly made up for her losing her match. To make things even brighter, soon she was going to get to see her mommy, aunty, and grandmother fight.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the adults begin their tournament and it’s time to see Isabel in action against her family members.


	16. Once burned

Chapter 16: Once burned

After mending her baby’s wounded ego and telling her boyfriend off for the umpteenth time, Isabel went to go enjoy the rest of the tournament. She got Cassandra some sweets, as promised; a funnel cake since there were all kinds of pastries lined up at the reunion. Once Cassandra was straight, she and her mother went to see the other matches. They did not care if Jason was following them or not, but he was. They turned to the rest of their immediate family, Isabella, Ellie, Kat, and her “kitten.”

The children’s tournament did not take too long. It ended with David being crowned the champion. He was the boy that defeated Cassandra in her second match. His winning did not make Cassandra feel any better about the loss, even though her mother assured her that she was going to lose every now and then in matches on her way to getting stronger.

“Now, it’s time for some serious fighting,” Isabel commented as she cracked her knuckles.

“Oh, please, you’ve got like a big target on your ass right now. You think we’re letting you get out of the first round?” Ellie inquired, cracking her own knuckles. She also rolled her neck, looking to relax her body.

“Ellie, if I were worried about you or anyone else in this madhouse, I damn sure wouldn’t show it. It wouldn’t happen anyway. I’m the best fighter here,” Isabel declared with a cocky half-smirk.

“Is that so?” a voice asked from behind them causing the group to turn around. They all looked like they had seen a vicious monster.

“Grandma!” Isabel and Kat squeaked. Ellie just made sure to stand up straight as an arrow, like the sisters.

“Mo…mo…mommy,” Isabella muttered while trying to ease away. She was still holding a little boy by the name of Temujin on her shoulders. He did not say anything as his ride started moving away from the group that he had gotten to know through out the morning.

“Stay,” the very senior Isabella ordered, which stopped the second Isabella in her tracks. The three younger women gulped.

“Mommy’s grandma?” Cassandra asked curiously, pointing up to the senior Isabella.

“That’s right. I’m your Mommy’s grandma,” senior Isabella said with a surprisingly sweet smile as she bent down to look Cassandra in the face. She rubbed the top of the child’s head.

Cassandra’s immediate family silently prayed that she did not say anything about what they had been saying about the senior Isabella. Cassandra glanced up at each of the main women in her life and noticed their nervous expressions. She had never seen them look such a way, so she was not sure what to think.

“My mommy’s gonna win,” Cassandra proclaimed, figuring that would make everyone look normal again.

“That’s what I’m hoping. She needs to teach her mommy a lesson,” the senior Isabella commented with a smirk as she glanced up at the mother and eldest daughter.

Isabella scoffed. “Please, Cassie will have whipped Izzie’s ass long before Izzie can touch me.”

“I’ve heard words like that before. I wonder where…” the senior Isabella pretended to muse.

Isabella frowned. She could not help wondering how her mother used her victory over the older woman many years ago to tease her. It just seemed to imply that the daughter was destined to surpass the mother, so Isabella was destined to lose to her eldest. She wondered if maybe she was not ready for that, even though that was exactly what she had been training both of her daughters for their whole lives. Isabel and Kat were _supposed_ to defeat their mother.

Isabella shook that thought away. She knew what she had to go through. She was prepared for it. She was hoping for it, she promised herself. Once her daughters beat her, it would mean that her goals in life had been fulfilled. She had beaten her mother and she had raised two warriors deadlier than she was. In her eyes, as well as her family’s eyes, she would be a success if she accomplished those two goals.

“Oh, and Kat looks like you’re raising your demise as well,” the senior Isabella remarked as she looked at the baby in Kat’s arms.

“My kitten would never hurt her mommy,” Kat argued with a smile as she hugged her beloved daughter to her. Alex cooed against her mother’s cheek.

“Dear child, we raise spiders in this family, don’t you know?” the senior Isabella commented with a vicious smile. The children devoured the parents in their family and everyone knew and expected that.

Kat frowned now; the joy even dropped out of her eyes. The senior warrior turned her attention to Ellie and Isabel now. _Two down and two to go_ ; the best friends could not help gulping.

“You two are almost too easy,” the senior Isabella quipped, still smiling. “I don’t even have anything to say to you, Izzie. You’re stuck in limbo. Your demise is born and your destiny is unfulfilled.”

Isabel forced herself not to frown; she was not going to let that evil old bat get to her, she promised herself. She was going to fulfill her first purpose in life, defending her mother. She was going to take down the deadliest woman in the room and wear the crown of greatest…if only for a little while. And then, she would carry on her second purpose in life, raising Cassandra to be even deadlier than she was supposed to be.

“And Ellie, I’d wish you luck, but you’ll make it to the semis more than likely and then get pummeled by your very best friend,” the senior Isabella said casually with a dismissive hand movement.

Ellie scowled. The set was complete and the senior Isabella took her leave, undoubtedly going to shake up her other children and grandchildren; she had two other children and five other grandchildren to harass. As soon as she was gone, the group started making all sorts of rude gestures toward her.

“That evil old bat!” they all thought.

The senior Isabella was tempted to turn around, just to glare that them and let them know that she was aware of what they were doing. She could not wait to see them fight now. They were going to try to prove her wrong. She knew Kat was not fighting, but she could not leave her out the blasting or she would feel even more useless than she undoubtedly felt now.

-8-8-8-8-

Jason was not sure what to think as he watched Isabel stretching. First and foremost, he had to keep his mind from drifting to lecherous thoughts that he would swear he never had. It was rather difficult to not think any naughty things, though; Isabel was currently bent over, her legs spread, and she was touching the floor with her flat palms. The funny thing was that Jason rarely took advantage of her flexibility in the bedroom, always having to keep up his façade of modesty when he was with her.

Other than the fact that Isabel was pointing her ass at him while touching the ground, Jason was not sure what to think of the tournament itself. He had already seen how serious the kids were about battling. He could only guess that the adults were just as serious and he did not want to see Isabel get hurt like their little girl.

“See something you like?” Isabel asked with a smirk as she glanced behind her to see where Jason’s eyes were focused.

Jason looked shocked for a moment, then appalled, and quickly averted his gaze. Isabel could not help chuckling, but it was not a very amused sound. If she were the sensitive type, he would certainly know how to hurt her feelings, she thought. After all, he made it seem like he did not want to look at her sometimes.

“You’re seriously about take place in a boxing match?” he inquired after a few seconds of silence.

“It’s not just boxing, dearest,” she replied as she straightened herself out.

“Still,” he argued.

“How many times must we go through this, dear? This is the whole point of the reunion and believe it or not, it’s my reason for existing. I was born to win this. I _am_ going to win this,” she vowed, more to herself than to her lover.

Jason was stunned by her determination; it shone in her emerald eyes and scratched at her voice. He was not sure what to say. He was very aware that telling her what was on his mind was only a good way to get her temper to flare, which he had already done quite a few times. He was now trying to watch himself unless he wanted to find himself without a ride home when everything was said and done.

Isabel turned her attention away from her boyfriend to the ring that she was about to get into. She inspected the ring, which was bigger than the ones that the children had been fighting in. She rubbed her hands together.

“It’s gotta be time. I’ve got to be good enough,” Isabel mentally convinced herself.

-8-8-8-8-

Isabel found herself fighting at the same time as Ellie and her mother, so she was unable to watch either matches. She was glad to see her sister and her daughter in the audience to watch her. She was surprised by who her first opponent was.

“I’m guessing the fates wanted you out of this one quick, Shortbread,” Isabel commented as she stood opposite her opponent.

Shortbread was Isabel’s cousin’s girlfriend. She had earlier promised to take Isabel out of the tournament, which was pretty much the promise that everyone in the tournament made to pale woman. Well, Isabel guessed that she was just going to have to take one of her favorite people out of the tournament early and quickly. She did want to see her mother fighting after all; it would give her a chance to put together a battle plan.

“Fuck you, Izzie,” Shortbread replied with some venom in her tone.

“I think that would get you in trouble with Ti,” Isabel replied with a teasing smile.

“That’s why I’m about to rock you,” Shortbread declared with a confident glint in her eyes.

Isabel chuckled. “Sorry about this, Shortbread,” she apologized as the signal was given for them to start.

Shortbread was no slouch when it came to fighting. She had been a member of a tough gang for most of her life and could definitely hold her own in the Han family, a family full of serious warriors. She had already been in the tournament before, making it a few rounds in before running into quite the roadblock.

“I’m not losing to your punk ass twice,” Shortbread vowed with stone in her voice as she dodged a powerful kick from Isabel.

Isabel chuckled again, even though she really was sorry for what was to come. She could not take it easy on her friend; a person she did consider her cousin. But, she had a meeting with destiny and no one was going to stand in her way.

Shortbread thought that she had in opening after avoiding Isabel’s leg. She came in, looking to strike a straight punch into Isabel’s chest. The pale woman saw the hit coming, slapped Shortbread’s hand out of the way, and met Shortbread with an elbow to the chin. First she brought the elbow up and then she brought it down, hitting Shortbread twice with sharp force.

Shortbread was thrown off balance from those two hits, but Isabel was not done. Isabel quickly came in with a palm strike, not holding back at all. Shortbread coughed as the blow landed strong against her chest, the impact rippling through her whole body like a stone being thrown on a lake. She went across the ring, hit the ropes, and was bounced back to the center of the ring from the momentum. She dropped as soon as she at the middle of the ring.

“Shortbread got screwed in this pick,” Kat muttered to herself.

“Un-fucking-believable,” Shortbread mumbled into the floor as she tried to will her body to get up. She could only lift her head to look at her opponent.

Isabel knew that the former gangster was done. She was already relaxed in her stance and the slight demonic glint that had been in those jade eyes had faded away. They both waited, seeing if the referee was going to call the match or not. When it was totally obvious that Shortbread was not getting back up, the match was given to Isabel. Isabel then went to pick up the smaller blonde.

“You’re a fucking monster,” Shortbread commented in a fond tone. She was even smiling a she spoke.

“You have to be one to beat a monster,” Isabel reminded her.

“I know.”

Isabel was gracious enough to carry Shortbread out of the ring. She walked by her cheering child, smiling sister, and shocked boyfriend. She took Shortbread to a chair and sat the blonde there. She then turned back to the ring, waiting for her next match. She did not have to wait long. She did not even get the chance to go check on her mother.

-8-8-8-8-

Jason’s mouth hung open in disbelief as he watched his girlfriend work. He had no idea that she was so powerful. He did have some clue that she was had a demon luring inside of her, though. He had seen glimpses of it, but he felt like he was completely seeing it right now while she was fighting with her family members.

The look in those shining lime eyes was one of determination, but there was a blazing fire underneath it all. It was a blaze that refused to go out, even when she got into the ring with cousins that she had only just smiled and laughed with hours ago. She went at them with the same viciousness that Jason would expect her to go after a bitter enemy with. He could tell from the look in her eyes that any and everyone that got into the ring with her that day _was_ a bitter enemy. He was willing to bet that she would have destroyed her little sister just as easily as she was doing her other family members.

Jason did glance over at the aforementioned sister and he noticed that Kat did not look the least bit put off by her sister’s hard demeanor. She was actually cheering for Isabel to take her opponents down with a grin on her face as she cheered. Cassandra was following her lead, shouting at the top of her little lungs for her mother to win each and every match that she was in.

“This is insane…” Jason commented mentally.

He just did not know what to make of any of it. He could not believe that Isabel was willingly participating in such a barbaric practice. He could not believe that the family was cheering on all of the matches going on, hoping for one family member to harm another. He knew that the Han family was crazy, but he did not think that it went to this extent.

“Go, Mommy!” Cassandra hollered with a smile, which broke her father out of his thoughts. He could not believe that she could have such a loud mouth.

Jason was used to seeing Cassandra look damn near melancholic, especially for a four-year-old. She barely spoke to him, so he was not too used to hearing her yell, although he did hear her shout every now and then when she did open her mouth. He could not believe that she was getting so excited watching her mother beat on innocent people.

“Cass,” Jason said.

Cassandra did not acknowledge that her father even said anything. Her mother was not around to force her to pay attention to the man and her aunt could care less. So, she was just going to pretend that he was not talking at all.

“Cassie,” Jason said in a sterner voice.

Cassandra frowned, upset with her father trying to interrupt her fun with his stupid words. She also wished that he would stop using her name; he going to make her hate it, she thought. She continued to ignore him, focusing only on her mother’s masterful performance.

“Cassie,” the former football player said one last time, grabbing the little girl that time.

“What?” Cassandra practically snarled in an angry tone. She looked and sounded so much like her mother.

“This isn’t proper behavior, you know that, right?” he asked with concern in his voice. He did not want his daughter thinking that it was right for people to beat up on each other or to have a demon inside of her like her mother did.

Cassandra looked at him as if he were an idiot. She rolled her eyes and turned away from him. She did not even think that her father’s words were worth her time. He said such dumb things all the time, in her opinion. She often wished that he would just disappear or at least learn to stop talking.

“Oh!” Kat hollered in an excited tone.

Cassandra quickly turned back to the ring, hoping to see what had impressed her aunt. All she saw was another opponent hitting the canvass and her mother being declared the winner of the match. Isabel’s expression was impassive; it was hard to tell that she had even won, except for the fact that her opponent was kissing the floor of the ring.

“Aw man! I missed it,” Cassandra griped as she folded her arms across her chest in a huff. Her father lost his grip on her from that move.

“It was so cool,” Kat teased her little niece.

“Damn it, Daddy, you made me miss it!” Cassandra hollered in a rage while pointing a threatening finger at her father.

“Hey!” Jason barked down at the child. “You don’t yell at me like that,” he ordered her as he reached down and grabbed her arm. He jerked her to the side slightly. It did not occur to him that he might be hurting her.

“Leave her alone,” Kat interjected when she saw how Jason took hold of the four-year-old.

“What’s going on?” Isabel asked curiously as she wandered over. She looked just as she had in the ring, impassive and hard, as if she could not remove herself from the fighting even for a moment. She needed to stay focused.

“Jason’s being a dick as usual,” Kat answered while motioning to his grip on Cassandra with one hand. She made sure to keep a good hold on her own daughter with her other hand.

“What the fuck are you doing to the baby?” Isabel demanded to know, glaring at her boyfriend. The hold just looked like it hurt and the frown on Cassandra’s face was not helping the appearance of the situation on Jason’s end.

“She’s cursing at me. This is the example you want to set?” he countered, his face twisted with rage that his daughter was being so disrespectful toward him and her mother was not doing anything about it.

“So you grab her like that? Let her go,” she ordered. She did not wait for him to move, simply ripping his hand away from her daughter. It did not escape him how easily she tore his hand from their child.

Jason was about to argue with her, but he noticed that they were causing a scene and they had quite the audience. He decided to straighten himself out. He looked squarely at Isabel as she pulled Cassandra over to her.

“Let’s talk about this outside,” Jason suggested.

“Can’t do that. I’ve got a match coming up undoubtedly. Just leave the baby alone,” Isabel commanded with a growl.

Cassandra appeared quite smug as her mother finished talking. She smirked up at her father as Isabel walked off to get back to her matches. Jason eyed Isabel’s retreating form while trying his best not to gulp. He then looked down at Cassandra and saw the look on her face. He frowned at the sight; his four-year-old thought that she had power over him, apparently.

“You’re lucky she didn’t break your legs before leaving,” Kat remarked, knowing that her sister was now locked in “fight mode.”

“This is ridiculous. This is the example that she wants to set for our child?” Jason huffed while trying to ignore Kat’s words and all of the stares coming from the people around them.

“If you don’t like it, why don’t you just fucking leave? We don’t want you around here anyway. I have no fucking clue why she even invited your dumbass to this thing,” Kat declared in annoyed tone. She was sick his fucking high-and-mighty attitude, judging them like he was better than they were.

“Hey, don’t—” Jason started to say, but Kat turned away from him. She was not going to give him the time of day. She had better things to do with her time, especially since her sister was about to fight again.

Jason frowned at being disrespected in such a way. He looked around for a moment and then decided to just walk away. He looked into the ring, staring at Isabel’s powerful stance; she reminded him of a lion. She caught sight of him out of the corner of her eyes and scowled herself as she watched him leave.

“Thank god,” Kat commented when Jason made himself scarce.

“Go, Mommy!” Cassandra cheered in a loud yell as she turned her attention to her mother. She was glad that her father was gone.

Isabel’s scowl turned into a smile as she heard her daughter calling for her. She then turned to look at her next opponent, her cousin Nefertiti. The way that they looked at each other, it would have been impossible to believe that they had just been smiling at each other and sharing family gossip a few hours ago. Right now, they appeared to be ready to kill each other.

“I can’t forgive you for what you did to Shortbread, Izzie,” Nefertiti said with malice in her voice. Her blue eyes bore into Isabel’s emerald ones as if trying to will the pale woman to die.

“Why not? I’m about to do it you too, after all, cousin,” Isabel commented in a cold tone.

“I will not let you walk over me and I won’t let you make a fool out my love. This is as far as you go this year,” Nefertiti stated.

“You have me confused with you, Ti.”

The two assumed their fighting stances as they waited for the signal to start. Their stances were quite similar, except Isabel had opened palms and Nefertiti had closed fists. The cousins were also similar in body types; an outsider might have actually thought that Nefertiti had the advantage. After all, the chocolate-skinned woman was more muscular than Isabel, but then again, neither of them looked so dangerous from a distance. Looking in their eyes though, it was clear that they could easily kill someone if the thought crossed their minds.

When the signal was given to begin, a stream of ebony hair and sun-colored mane flowed behind the fighters as they charged each other. They met in a flurry of punches and palm strikes. They dodged each other at a high rate of speed, almost blur to those that were watching.

“You’re too old to win this one now, cousin,” Nefertiti taunted the pale woman as continued going at each other.

“I believe that’s the reason I always win,” Isabel replied as she changed up her attack.

Nefertiti knew what was coming and tried to avoid it, but she found that she was not fast enough. Isabel brought her leg up for a mid-level kick. The hit crashed against the blonde woman’s ribs and pushed her back several feet. She knew that she not have time to contemplate the blow because her cousin was going to be coming in for another attack.

Isabel bolted over to her younger cousin and caught her with another kick before Nefertiti could get her act together completely. Nefertiti put her hand up, looking to at least block the hit. She hissed in pain as kick landed and retreated to put some space between her and her cousin.

“Where you going, Ti?” Isabel growled as she chased the blonde.

“Coming at you, cuz,” Nefertiti replied with a confident smirk.

Nefertiti planted her feet, ready to counter whatever Isabel was going to come at her with. Isabel prepared for a palm strike that Nefertiti swore she saw coming. She braced herself for the hit and moved to get ready for the powerful counter that she had planned. Only problem, the hit never landed.

Isabel moved into a new assault as soon as she noticed her cousin was waiting for her. She went in lower than originally planned and aimed in on the spot that she had already kicked on the blonde’s ribs. She unleashed lightning fast strikes onto Nefertiti’s body; the hits came so quickly that the younger woman gasped in pain when she realized that she was being hit, which was the fifth hit in.

Isabel came in with the worst hit last. Spit flew out of Nefertiti’s mouth as she was moved back almost three yards from that the last blow. She knew that she was not going to have time to catch her breath and braced herself for a new attack that she knew would be coming.

Nefertiti put her hands up, ready to block. Isabel came in with a powerful kick that caused her cousin to grimace, but she did not go down. She pushed the leg to the side and launched herself at Isabel. Isabel was now on the defensive.

“I won’t let you disrespect me this early in the tournament,” Nefertiti declared as she tried to wear down on her older cousin.

“I won’t be stopped this early in the tournament,” Isabel countered. There was no way in hell that she was going to be stopped now!

Isabel blocked and dodged her cousin’s rapid assault. She was surprised that her cousin had improved so much so quickly. They had fought at the last tournament, five years ago. Isabel had been eighteen and Nefertiti had been seventeen. Isabel had walked over her cousin then, but now was not the case.

Nefertiti’s hits had more of a sting to them now. Five years ago, Isabel laughed when her cousin touched her, which she let happen. She certainly was not letting it happen now and she damn sure was not laughing as the blows landed.

“You’ve gotten so much better, Ti. Has Cleo done the same?” Isabel asked curiously in between grunts.

“Of course. Mommy and Daddy retrained us. We’re taking you and Aunty Isabella down!” Nefertiti declared.

Isabel scoffed. “Delusions of grandeur, just like your daddy.”

“There are way too many rivalries in our family for this to be healthy,” Kat muttered to herself as she listened to her sister and her cousin go back and forth. There was the rivalry between her mother and her elder sister of course, which was also a master/apprentice relationship. Then there were the rivalries between Isabella and her two younger siblings, which was how things typically were in the Han family. And then from there, there was the rivalry between their three immediate families, putting Isabel and Kat at odds with some of their favorite cousins whenever fighting was involved.

“It’s our time to shine,” Nefertiti proclaimed.

Isabel nearly laughed in her cousin’s face. Her family would never surrender their place to their cousins, or in her mother’s case to her brother and sister. They barely wanted to surrender their places to each other, even though children were expected to surpass their parents in the Han family.

“I think you’re a hundred years too early, little cousin,” Isabel said with a teasing smile as she caught Nefertiti’s punch.

The blonde’s eyes went wide as tires and she barely had time to think for what hit her next. The feel of Isabel’s leg already on her sore ribs was more than anything that Isabel had dished out that day. Nefertiti had to force herself not to throw up as the impact seemed to undulate through out her entire body, from her ribs spreading to the tips of her hair and edge of her toenails. The pain was something that she would not be able to describe if she lived for a thousand years. She could not help herself; she screamed, shrieked really, loudly.

“What an unladylike sound,” someone muttered in disbelief from the back. It was very rare to hear a pure agonized scream from someone in their family.

“Hey, you try having my sister hit you like that and see how you react!” Kat yelled to the smartass in the back.

“Is it really that painful?” Cassandra wondered. Could her mother even make a respected opponent cry out as if she had been shot?

Isabel watched her younger cousin fall to the canvass. Her eyes did not change; her heart did not regret dealing Nefertiti such a blow. She had to move forward. She had to complete her destiny.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Isabel remembers what happened the last time she faced her mother and then faces Ellie, who stands between Isabel and her destiny.


	17. Ashes

Chapter 17: Ashes

Nefertiti Han sat against the back wall of the hall that her family was gathered in. In her lap was the head of her lover, a former gang-banger known as Shortbread. They both wanted to be up with the family, looking on at the battles, cheering, and speculating, but they could not move right now. Hell, they were both lucky to even be conscious.

“Is _she_ still fighting?” Shortbread asked curiously.

“Yeah, she is,” Nefertiti answered, knowing just who her girlfriend was referring to. She was talking the woman that they both lost to, her older cousin, Isabel.

Nefertiti looked down at her hand and made a fist, which took quite a bit of strength considering how injured she was. She could not help wondering how it was possible for two people with almost the same genes, the same blood, the same everything almost to have such a difference in power. And she did not even mean that with just her and her cousin, but also her father and his sister, Isabel’s mother. It seemed so impossible.

“What do we have to do to take them out? How do we dethrone them?” Nefertiti wondered, eyes wandering in the direction of the ring. There had to be some way for her family to rise and win.

“Hey, Ti,” Shortbread said while turning to nuzzle her face in the chocolate stomach that was showing slightly. It was the best that she could do right now, still feeling all of the aches from her early defeat.

“Hmm?” Nefertiti inquired. She looked down at her girlfriend.

“One day it’ll be your day, just like one day it’ll be your cousin’s day. You both have to wait,” Shortbread pointed out with a small smile.

“Izzie’s day might come first, though.”

“Izzie’s got to go through a woman that might never be ready to give up her time in the limelight, though.”

Nefertiti nodded to that. Her Aunt Isabella did not seem to ever want to relinquish her crown to her heir-apparent. Isabel was determined, but it would take more than determination and desire to defeat the monster that was Isabella.

-8-8-8-8-

Isabel was currently watching her mother fight. Her face was hard and dispassionate as she stood with her arms folded across her stomach; she held her elbows in her palms. Her daughter stood to one side of her while her sister stood to the other. None of them wanted to say what was going through all of their minds; Isabella was incredible.

There was no such thing as wasted movement when Isabella fought. Every move that she made served a specific purpose; the intent was typically to hurt the hell out of her opponent. She was sharp; most people figured that being hit by her had to be similar to being cut by a knife being wielded at the speed of light. And the power behind her even touch…well, some people considered being hit by her a fate worse than death.

“You ready for that?” Kat asked her sister as their mother kicked her opponent across the face. The hit sent the guy flying through the ropes and out of the ring, tumbling for several feet.

“I was born ready,” Isabel replied in a cold tone as she turned to walk away. She had a fight coming up too.

“She said that last time too,” Kat commented to herself, but Cassandra heard her.

“Last time?” Cassandra echoed curiously.

“Yes, Cassie, there was a last time. At the last family union, your mommy and her mommy met in the finals. It was the first time your mommy ever met it that far. I still haven’t made it that far. It was…not pretty on your mommy’s end,” Kat explained as best she could. She doubted that Cassandra would believe her if she told exactly what happened that time.

Cassandra looked incredulous anyway. “My mommy doesn’t lose,” she stated soundly.

Kat only shook her head. She figured that Cassandra was either going to lose some childhood innocence that day or Isabel was going to pull off the impossible. Kat had a feeling it was the former. After all, she remembered the last time that her mother and sister met in a family tournament.

-*-(Flashback)-*-

Teenage Isabel stood face to face with her mother. They were in a plain ring that was roped off with their family crowed around, screaming at the top of their lungs. Most people were rooting for the underdog, Isabel. Isabella did not seem fazed by all of the shouts that she was about to get killed by her own daughter.

“You’ve made it far, Izzie,” Isabella commented in her usual neutral tone. There was an underlying edge of iciness in her voice. The atmosphere brought on the chill and her daughter knew that.

“I’m about to go all the way,” Isabel declared with a confident smirk on her face. Oh, she felt like she could have been hit with a star and still come out too cool for the room. She was on top of the world and she just _knew_ that it was her time to shine.

“You’ve got to go through me for that, little one,” Isabella reminded her child.

“I’m not little anymore.”

“You’ll always be little to me, Izzie. Always so small,” the mother taunted her daughter almost cruelly.

“Once I kick your old ass, you won’t be calling me little and you damn sure won’t be calling me ‘Izzie,’“ Isabel stated soundly.

Isabella had no problem challenging her daughter. “Prove it to me, Izzie.”

Isabel wasted no time in trying to do that; bad move. The poor overzealous teen ran at her mother, letting her humiliation cloud her thinking at quite the wrong time. She was on her back in less than a second.

“You better get up,” Isabella ordered her daughter. “That little punch was nothing. You stay down on that and I’ll disown your fucking worthless ass right here in this fucking ring.” She was not lying either.

Isabel jumped up, a little wiser than she had been a second ago. She crouched back into her fighting stance, trying her best not to think about the pain steadily throbbing in her face. Her pale cheek was quite red and turning darker as time passed.

Isabel was not sure what to do. Her mother was just as good on offense as she was on defense. Running at her was not the right thing to do, but waiting for her to come was not the right thing to do either. Isabel refused to believe that she was damned if she did and damned if she did not.

Isabella did not give her daughter much time to think, coming in on the teen as soon as her hands were up. Isabel barely had to time to breathe in before she felt her mother’s leg crashing against her arms; she was thankful that she had been guarding her side or else that might have been the end of her right then and there.

“Ah,” Isabel hissed as the blow landed, but she could not get any more than that out.

Isabella had her feet planned and was coming in for a new assault. She frowned while throwing a straight punch, looking to just punish her child’s arms more since they were up, trying to protect her precious body. It did not matter to Isabella; she just wanted the arms anyway. Anything more that she picked up was a bonus.

“You think this is going to beat me, Izzie? Fucking hit me or get out of the ring,” Isabella commanded.

“I will,” Isabel promised as she tried to back up to give herself some room, but her mother kept chasing after her and attacking her.

“Show me then, you pathetic welt,” Isabella commanded forcefully and then her daughter came in for what she guessed was supposed to be a powerful counter-punch to her assault. “Disgraceful display,” the mother spat as she knocked her daughter’s fist out the air with her left hand and then came in with a strong right kick.

Isabel made an unflattering noise that she would not believe was her if she only heard it. Her brain did not have the ability to devote energy to hearing at the moment as it was overloaded with pain information. She was not even aware that her mother knocked her into the ropes on that one.

“What a pitiful child. Who did you beat to make it here, your baby cousins?” Isabella asked her daughter. Disgust and disappointment were starting to cloud her sapphire eyes.

Isabel coughed. “Fuck. I won’t let a wench like you beat me,” she declared in a pant as she tried to stand up.

“And who’s going to stop me? You? You’re not even worth my fucking time, Izzie. I should call your sister in here to kick your worthless ass. Why do I even bother to train you? Waste of my fucking—” Isabella’s words were cut off as her daughter’s fist collided with her jaw.

“Who’s fucking worthless now, bitch? You’re going fucking down!” Isabel proclaimed.

Isabella nearly chuckled, but she caught herself. “From such a pathetic punch? I don’t fucking think so, child. Now, I’ll teach you what happens to children that act too big for their fucking britches.”

Isabel knew a kick was coming, but that did not mean that she could do anything about it. She braced herself as best she could and tried to put her arm down to block it, but that was nowhere near enough to pad the force that she was hit with. Isabel was almost certain that she could hear her ribs as they shattered on impact.

Despite the power that she was hit with and the distance that she was knocked back, Isabel remained standing. It did not take much of a conscious effort on her part to put her hands up and not on her busted ribs. She could not let her mother know that she injured or she would only end up worse; she knew that from past experiences.

“Oh, still standing?” Isabella said as if she was truly shocked.

“That tickled. You can’t stop me with such pathetic punches, old woman,” Isabel stated firmly and venomously.

Isabella smirked, looking like she could make the devil flee in terror. “Don’t act so cool, Izzie. It’s unflattering.”

“Your delaying the inevitable is unflattering. Stop flapping your lips and just get your ass-kicking.”

Isabella looked thoughtful for a moment. “I think someone else here is delaying the inevitable.”

Isabel frowned; there had to be someway to knock that smug glint right out of her mother’s fucking eyes. She just could not think of anything. She was slower and less effective now that her mother had bruised her ribs and she knew that. But, she decided not to accept that.

Isabel cautiously circled her mother, looking for an opening. As soon as one presented itself, she planned to unleash Hell on the space. Her mother’s defense did not seem to have any openings, though. Well, she considered that she might just have to make one.

The teen faked like she was going to come in for a high kick, making sure to plant her feet to really fool her mother. Unfortunately, Isabella did not bite and her daughter was the one left open. She pushed Isabel’s hand out of the way again as the teen was coming in for what felt like a very solid punch; too bad it would never land. The assault that her mother unleashed up on her rippled through Isabel’s body and caused her to collapse to her knees right in front of her mother.

“Aw, that’s sweet. You’re kneeling to your mommy,” Isabella commented with a cruel smirk on her face.

“Fuck you, old lady,” Isabel said through a series of pants and hiccups. She was breathing heavy through her mouth, even though each breath felt like a thousand knives stabbing her in the chest.

“Defiant to the end, pipsqueak,” Isabella said. “Just pass out and show us all how weak you really are.”

Isabel shot up like black mamba snake, her fist cocked back, ready for one murderous attack…that never made it. She managed to graze her mother with some wind from her momentum, but Isabella dodged the whole attack. She then went to work with her legs, hitting Isabel with another kick that sent the teen to the ropes.

Isabel hit the ropes and then hit the canvas. Blood streamed out of her nose and mouth. She was unconscious by the time she hit the floor. She woke up the next day, in the hospital. The only positive thing that her sister could say to her was, “Mommy only bruised your ribs and other bones.” Her mother only stared at her; those emerald eyes as unreadable as ever.

-*-(End of flashback)-*-

Isabel had one obstacle blocking her path to her mother, who blocked her path to her destiny. The one person between her and a rematch from the last time her mother utterly humiliated her was none other than her best friend. Damn it, was her grandmother psychic or something?

“Ellie, this isn’t personal, you know,” Isabel said, but the smirk on her face suggested that she might actually get some satisfaction in fighting her oldest and dearest friend.

“I’ll believe that when you stop smiling like a jackass,” Ellie commented with a stern look on her face.

“Oh, well, it hadn’t been personal, but then you called me a jackass for no apparent reason,” the taller woman remarked.

“You mean other than the fact that you are one?”

Isabel shrugged a bit. “You’ll have to prove that one to me.”

“I’ll have no problem doing that. I’ll be sure to tell your mother what a jackass you are when I meet her at the end of this thing too,” the brown-haired female commented in a humorless tone.

“Over my dead body.”

“I have no problem with that.”

The bell sounded to signal the start of the match. Ellie knew that Isabel was going to come at her; it had to work that way or they would spend hours just circling each other like two idiots. Ellie never gave up her defensive position if necessary, after all. It did not matter because Isabel liked attacking first.

Isabel marched up to Ellie like a boxer, coming in with some light jabs, just tapping her friend. Ellie dipped and dodged, not wanting the taller woman to figure out the proper distance to hit her. Ellie ran out of room much too quickly in her opinion.

Isabel decided to come in with a high kick while her friend took notice that she did not have an escape route. Ellie moved her head just in time to avoid having the aforementioned body part knocked off of her shoulders. She figured that she needed to come in with her own attack while Isabel was retracting her leg.

Ellie moved forward, going in for a punch. Isabel rapidly got her footing together to move out of the way. She moved in to grab Ellie’s arm since she dodged the punch, but Ellie saw that coming. She managed to move her arm at the right moment and tried to come in for a maneuver of her own. Isabel sidestepped her and they pretty much slipped by each other for a few minutes.

“C’mon, this is fucking boring!” Kat screamed at the pair to tease them.

“Boring!” Cassandra concurred and she smiled when her aunt grinned down at her in approval of her words.

“Beat her ass, Ellie!” Shortbread called into the ring.

“Oh, yeah, beat her ass, Ellie!” Kat joined in, thinking that it would get quite the rise out of her sister.

“Ellie?!” Isabel and Cassandra both said as they heard the blonde.

“Am I rooting for the wrong side? She’s like having a second, annoying big sister, after all,” Kat remarked with a much too innocent grin.

Isabel focused her attention on her opponent; she did not want to take her eye off of someone like Ellie for too long, after all. The pair continued going back and forth. The audience might have revolted, but they started making contact with each other.

“You hit like a bitch,” Isabel commented as Ellie dug her knuckles into the pale woman’s abdomen.

“You are a bitch,” Ellie countered.

“But, I don’t _hit_ like one,” Isabel pointed out as she backed her friend up with an over-the-top right hand.

Ellie’s head snapped to the side from the blow, but she refused to allow it to affect her. She kept her poise and put her arms up in defense as Isabel came in for more. Just like Isabel, Ellie thought; she always wanted to take a mile when given an inch. Damn Han mentality, Ellie silently cursed.

Ellie knew that she had to give herself some space to step up a counterattack because Isabel was just going to keep on going. She tried to jump back, but Isabel had very fast feet. The pale woman met her friend, who was still in the air, unfortunately for her. Ellie grunted as Isabel’s foot collided with her chest.

“Ah, don’t put your fucking elephant feet on my good shirt,” Ellie remarked as she landed and put her hands up to block because Isabel was in her face the second that she touched down.

“Fine,” Isabel agreed as she faked going to hit Ellie with her right hand.

Ellie blocked, as anticipated. The brown-haired woman was about to come in for her own counter, thinking that her friend had left herself open by putting her right hand out there. How wrong she was. Before she could even make a move, Isabel brought her left hand up and grabbed Ellie by the collar of her shirt.

“I hope you don’t mind me flinging you by your good shirt,” Isabel remarked with a wicked smile.

“Fucking whore,” Ellie muttered before she felt herself being lifted off of her feet.

“I get it from my mother,” Isabel quipped as she wasted no time throwing her friend across the wrong.

Ellie did not doubt that Isabel got every unflattering trait in her body from her mother; she made sure to just curse Han blood as she few across the ring. After all, it was the Han genes that made Isabel so much taller than she was that helped her get such a good throw off. Ellie did not dwell on the thought.

The brown-eyed female did her best to right herself before she landed, but she slipped on some wetness on the canvass. She fell back against the ropes, which would not have been back, but the ropes did something unexpected. They popped.

“Holy shit!” Ellie yelped as she fell out of the ring.

Ellie put her leg down, figuring that she would easily catch her balance. She did not count on someone resting their drink right in that spot, which she stepped in. She winced as her foot bent in a manner it was not supposed to and she fell to the floor. She immediately reached for her ankle.

“Damn the luck,” Ellie cursed under her breath.

“That one looked kinda bad,” someone commented.

“It’s fine!” Ellie hissed. Like hell she was going to let an accident put her out of the biggest event in five years! Not to mention, she had actually never made it so far before.

“If it’s so fine, get your lazy ass up and come get your ass-kicked,” Isabel urged her friend with a sickeningly sweet smile on her face.

Ellie was prepared to oblige her friend, standing up and leaping back into the ring. It was not until she landed that she realized that was not the best idea she had that day. Her ankle refused to take that sort of punishment and buckled under her. She hit the canvass for the second time.

“El, I didn’t even hit you yet. You’re not supposed to go down,” Isabel pointed out.

“I didn’t do it on purpose, you idiot!” Ellie barked and she struggled to her feet. A jolt of pain shot through her as she tried to rest her weight on her ankle. The ankle was pretty much screaming for her to sit her ass down because it was only hanging on by a hope and a prayer.

“Ellie,” a voice called before the friends could go another around.

“What?” Ellie huffed as she turned to see who was calling her and she straightened up when she saw her. “What, Jo?”

Jo Han, Isabel’s least favorite doctor and cousin, was leaning against the ring. She motioned for Ellie to come over to her with her index finger. Ellie sighed, but obeyed.

“Sit down for a second,” Jo commanded.

“Why?” Ellie huffed, but she did as ordered.

Jo did not answer. She turned her deep blue eyes to Ellie’s ankle. Considering the family that she was in, Jo figured that she would be able to spot a bad injury even without the years of training as a doctor, but the degree in medicine did help. She could see the discoloration and swelling already presenting itself in Ellie’s joint. She felt around it, causing Ellie to wince loudly.

“Yeah, El, you’re done…unless of course you’d like to continue and break your ankle the next time you land in a jump or try to throw a kick,” Jo commented smoothly, like what she saying was not earth shattering as far as the brunette young woman was concerned.

“What?! What do you mean I’m done? I got defeated by a fucking cup of water!” Ellie shouted in disbelief.

“Well, obviously the person that left the drink there was jackass. Just like the person that fixed up the ring is an asshole since the ropes snapped like that, but your luck is just as fucked because you’re the one that fell through the ropes. Now, unless you have a technique that will allow you to strike Izzie with lightning or call down the wrath of some gods, you’re done because you can’t do shit on this ankle,” Jo explained.

“Oh, this is straight bullshit! I could so fuck her up right now,” Ellie declared.

“Fine, you stand up without twitching and I’ll let you go back in there in fight her,” Jo said.

Ellie wasted no time in trying to climb to her feet. She made it up, took a step, and had to damn near bite her tongue to prevent her from wincing. She turned to look at Jo, who was joined by two other Hans that happened to be doctors. She doubted that was a good sign.

“I’m standing,” Ellie pointed out.

“Fine, go ahead.” Jo motioned to her cousin, signaling that Ellie could feel free to go back in the ring and face Isabel.

Ellie tried to hobble over to Isabel, who rolled her eyes. She had no interest in beating on a crippled woman, especially one that she did not personally injure. She would become a laughing stock if she dared continue on.

“Ellie, get the fuck out of the ring,” Isabel ordered coldly.

“I won’t,” Ellie stated defiantly.

“You will or I’ll step in your fucking ankle, making sure to shatter that shit as best I can,” Isabel promised.

Ellie was not ready to step down. She did not want to be a laughing stock herself, not that her injury was her fault. She did not want to bow out, not in front of everyone. Not for something that seemed to be so basic; she sprained her ankle for crying out loud! Okay, granted, she sprained it twice and taxed it greatly with her movements afterward, but it was still one lousy sprained ankle. She could not go out like that, she screamed in her head.

“Give it up,” Jo called to the shorter female. The two other doctors by her side nodded in agreement.

Ellie frowned and took another daring step toward Isabel. The taller female wasted no time in getting into her fighting stance. Isabel narrowed her eyes; she was going to take Ellie down with one powerful hit if her friend wanted to be stupid. There was no way in hell that she was going to get embarrassed _again_ at the family reunion.

“Ellie,” a stern voice called that sent shivers up both young women’s spines.

“Yes, Isabella?” Ellie inquired while turning around to face her friend’s mother.

“Get your simple ass out of that ring. You don’t have any chance of beating her on one leg. You think she would beat you on one leg? Stop wasting everyone’s time and get the fuck out of the ring,” Isabella ordered.

“But—” Ellie tried to argue.

“Ellie, listen to the woman and get the fuck out of the ring,” Isabella’s younger brother, Ferdinand, ordered as he stepped over to help out. No one would guess that his big sister had just beaten him senseless an hour ago. “You know how this goes. If you’re too injured to give up a proper battle, just get the fuck out of the ring,” he added in.

Ellie sighed and limped out of the ring before she had to hear from Maria, Isabella’s little sister. Getting yelled at by all three of them was seriously scarier than being trapped in a cemetery on a dark night with starving zombies closing in. She made sure to look as resentful as possible as she went over to the doctors.

“And fix your fucking face,” Isabella told the brown-haired younger warrior.

Ellie tried her best to rid of her scowl; she succeeded, but it was quite difficult. Jo took her off to go examine her injury properly. Isabel remained in the ring.

“So, who’s next?” Isabel asked coldly. She knew that Ellie being unable to continue did not give her a free pass into the finals. She still needed to earn the right.

“Is it Frederick?” Ferdinand asked his sister.

“Him or Louis. Hopefully him since Louis went to get drunk after you kicked his ass,” Isabella replied dryly.

“You know, he fights damn near as well as he drinks,” Ferdinand remarked.

Isabella did not respond to that; she thought it was too obvious to point out that Louis drank better than he did anything. She would not mind seeing her daughter against Louis; he was her nephew and a very good fighter, but she did think that Frederick was much better. Frederick was a little more serious than Louis; in fact, he never met a joke that he liked and he only smiled if he was punched in the mouth so hard that it hurt.

Once it was established who Isabel was going to fight since Ellie was out of picture, the match was continued. The winner would get to go to the final round. It was Isabel versus her cousin Frederick; Kat hoped that someone was filming it.

-8-8-8-8-

Isabella was actually surprised, not that she would ever admit it. She was staring at her opponent, her daughter. That was not what surprised her, although there had been a very good chance that Frederick would have won; well, that was until the fight started anyway. The shocking thing was that Isabel did not have a mark on her. She did not look like she had been in a fight, not a serious fight anyway.

“I go to get water, come back, and suddenly I hear people praising your name. Odd, isn’t it?” Isabella asked.

“How so?” Isabel countered.

“Just as quickly as that happened, I’ll have you kneeling before me again,” Isabella remarked with a hint of a smirk on her face.

“I brought a headstone for you, Mommy. It tells just how you died. ‘Her daughter crushed her skull with one blow.’“

“You have the wildest dreams, Izzie. It’s time to wake up, though.”

Isabel did not reply as the bell signaled for the match to begin. Isabel made sure that her defense was tight as she examined her mother for weaknesses. Everything looked perfect as usual, but she was certain that there was a dent in that armor somewhere.

Isabella studied her daughter while waiting for Isabel to attack; she knew that Isabel would attack due to lack of patience. She was a bit stunned at how long it was taking Isabel to come at her. Not too long ago, she believed the “silly girl” would have charged in all gung-ho and she would have to take Isabel’s head off as punishment. Both of her daughters had the bad habit of charging in half-cocked and she had to check them about that; checking them involved a lot of pain for the daughter.

“I know she’s expecting me to attack her. I just have to figure out where I want to do it,” Isabel said to herself. She knew that there was no way that her mother would ever come at her.

Isabel came up with what she thought was a good plan in a few seconds and then moved about to put it in motion. She came at her mother, making sure to keep her hands up for protection, but threw a punch that she was certain her mother would block. While that was going on, she moved her foot and stepped into her mother’s knee, bending it unnaturally inward.

Isabella snorted, but she did buckle from the pressure on her knee. Isabel took advantage and started throwing lightning fast punches; the first few actually caught her mother. Isabella then got herself together, dodged the latter end of the barrage, and countered by upper-cutting her daughter in the forearm.

The little “love tap” from her mother on her arm bone did not faze Isabel. She continued her assault and had to avoid some of her mother’s counters. Isabella’s facial expression did not change as she tried to dig into her daughter, but could not work her way in the way that she wanted. Isabel’s expression did not change as she tried to take her mother down.

Every now and then, fists collided with fists. Elbows hit against elbows. Shins and forearms were punished as they blocked monstrous strikes. The audience watched with awed faces as they all cheered on Isabel. They were louder than the nauseous sound of bone hitting bone and flesh being struck hard.

“Kick Isabella’s ass, Izzie!” Ferdinand practically whooped. He was standing close to the ring, making sure that he was heard. He wanted his sister to go down, even if it was by the person that took his eldest daughter out.

“You know, Unc, calling her ‘Izzie’ that loud isn’t going to help,” Kat pointed out. Her sister might get distracted and that would be all her mother needed to murder the poor fighter.

Ferdinand nodded to that; he had to remember to watch what he called his niece while she was taking on his monster of a big sister. He could not figure out how Isabella turned into such a monster as a fighter; sometimes he felt like she was light years ahead of him and their sister. Knowing Isabella, she would agree.

The crowd hollered and carried on until Isabel hit the canvass from a dangerous elbow to the jaw. They thought that she might be down for the count, but they soon found out that her jaw had become much stronger in five years. Isabel fell into a counterattack, spinning into a kick to keep her mother at bay. Isabella was nearly hit with the move since she was walking in to finish her daughter.

“I see you’ve actually improved a bit,” Isabella commented as she daughter was able to hop up to her feet.

“Of course,” Isabel pointed out.

“Yeah, you’ve gone from a baby to a toddler, but you still can’t beat a grown fucking woman,” Isabella stated as if it was a stone-cold fact.

“I’ll show you who’s grown,” the daughter countered.

The battle raged on, Isabel coming for an attack again. They danced with each other; the match was just as brutal as it was beautiful. The family watching almost could not believe their eyes.

“Isabel’s gotten vastly better in such a short amount of time,” Ferdinand muttered to himself. He could see how she had beaten his eldest, not to mention his sister’s eldest child. Isabel was not joking about wanting to fulfill her destiny.

Others were thinking along similar lines to Ferdinand. They could not believe that they were staring at the same person to fight against Isabella in the last family tournament. Five years had done wonders for Isabel.

“Go, Mommy!” Cassandra shouted at the top of her lungs.

Isabel almost smiled when she heard her daughter over so many others. The little voice energized her and she went at her mother even harder than before. She had to beat her mother, she told herself. She had to show that her mother was an excellent teacher, that she was an excellent student, and that she was the now the monster of the Han family. She truly felt like she _had_ to do to that.

The battle continued on. Soon, Isabel and Isabella were grappling with each other whenever one got too close for the other’s liking. They pinned each other several times, but there were no rules about knockdowns or pins. The opponent had to be too injured to continued, give up, or knocked out.

Isabel managed to grab a hold of her mother and slam her hard into the ring. She came down with a furious series of punches, but was backed off when Isabella clipped her in the neck with a vicious elbow. Isabella went after her daughter while she was gasping for air, pushing herself up into a punch.

Isabel threw her arm up to block the hit coming toward her and threw out her leg, kicking to counter. She assaulted her mother with her kicks, coming in faster than ever despite the time that passed since the fight began. She ended the combination with a spinning high-kick, catching her mother right across the face.

Isabella actually went down. The crowd was silent almost immediately and simultaneously. The babies that were around did not even make a sound; it was like they knew something momentous just happened.

It was not the first time that Isabel had ever dropped her mother, so she knew that it was not a guarantee that the older woman would stay down. She did feel like her mother should be out, though. That was her most powerful kick, after all.

And then, the next thing Isabel knew her mother was in her face. Isabella attacked with a vengeance; apparently, she either knew that she had a red footprint on her face or her cheek just hurt like hell and she wanted to make her daughter pay for that. Isabel tried to block everything coming at her, but she was still being tagged with a few hits.

“How fuck is this woman still on her fucking feet?” Isabel wondered while trying to get away from her mother’s terrible assault.

“She actually hurt me. Unbelievable,” Isabella commented in her own head while making sure to keep on marching on Isabel. She was waiting for an opening that she knew was coming as she knew her daughter’s defense. When that opening showed up, she was putting Isabel’s ass on the canvass for good.

The opening came soon too and Isabel found herself hit with everything but the kitchen sink by her count. It ended with a three-piece blow that started with knuckles, went to the forearm, and ended with an elbow. Her nose gushed blood, her knees gave out, and her brain shut down. Isabel woke up later in her hotel room bed.

“Mommy’s up, Mommy’s up!” Cassandra pointed out as she watched her mother moving around in bed. She rushed over to the edge of the bed to look her mother in the face.

“This isn’t a good sign,” Isabel muttered to herself. Considering the last memory that she had involved her staring at her mother in the ring and now she was on her back in the bed glaring at the ceiling, she could guess what happened.

“Of course it’s not. You got your ass kicked,” Kat pointed out as she came into view. She had the decency to look a bit saddened that her sister lost the fight. She actually wished that she was in Isabel’s place; it would be nice to just fight their mother in her opinion.

“Fuck,” Isabel growled and she punched the mattress blow her. She found that moving hurt, but she was too pissed to care about that.

“Mommy got beat. Grandma beat Mommy badly,” Cassandra reported, as if trying to make her mother feel worse.

Isabel was not sure why, but hearing her daughter say it made her defeat seem infinitely worse than ever. She had lost to her mother more times than she could count, but there was something about her child pointing it out. How was she supposed to raise her daughter be a warrior if she could not defeat her own mother? For the first time in her life, Isabel actually felt like a failure. Isabel ripped herself from the bed and made beeline straight for the door.

“Iz, where you going?” Kat called; she was supposed to keep an eye on her big sister.

“I need some air,” Isabel replied in a snarl of a voice as she exited the room.

Kat could guess what happened there. “Hey, Cassie, go chase your mommy.”

Cassandra did not need to be told twice. She dashed out of the room and made it to her mother as she hit the stairs; Isabel was not in the mood to take the elevator or it would just make her think that she was too weak to even make it downstairs on her own. Cassandra just grabbed her mother’s hand when she caught up to her.

“Cassie,” Isabel said, sounding almost shocked when she felt her child taking her hand.

“I wan’ air too. Can I come?” Cassandra requested.

Isabel’s expression almost immediately softened. “Of course, bug.”

The mother and daughter pair went downstairs to the door of the hotel. They saw that it was night time, but that did not stop them. It was a warm night, so Isabel had no problem with taking Cassandra out in her pajamas. They walked around, silent for a long time.

They went into a park and Isabel took Cassandra to a special spot that she knew about. There was a large lake with a lot of big rocks around it. They climbed onto one of the larger rocks and looked out into the water. It was easy to see because there was a swarm of fireflies buzzing about.

The fireflies gave the water an ethereal green glow. Tiny ripples bounces across the lake, as if following the insects. Trees in the distance looked as if they were leaning in, trying to see the peaceful scene for themselves.

“Wow…” Cassandra muttered in awe and then she looked up to her mother with a grin. Her smile faded as she noticed the conflicted look on her mother’s face.

The child could not figure out why her mother looked so upset considering they were in a magic place; it was magical to the four-year-old because the water looked like it was glowing thanks to the fireflies. It did not take much for Cassandra to decode why her mother was not amazed with the lake; she was obviously sad because she lost. Cassandra figured that out because she knew that she was sad when she lost.

Cassandra searched her mind, trying to figure out what she could do to make her mother feel better. She knew that when she was upset with losing, her mother got her sweets. She was not sure if that would work since she noticed that she liked sugar more than her mommy and there were no sweets around anyway. She glanced out in the direction of the lake and then she had a brilliant idea. She knew just how to cure her mother of her ills.

The four-year-old reached out and easily plucked a firefly out of the air. She then turned to her mother, who just sensed that Cassandra was looking at her. Isabel turned her gaze down to the child.

“Here, Mommy. You should make a wish on the magic lightning bug. I bet it comes true,” Cassandra said in such an innocent voice that it was obvious she thought that it was that easy.

Isabel could not help smiling as she took the bug. “Thank you, Cassie. I’ll be sure to make a wish on it, but I’ve got my own lucky little firefly.”

“Really? Who?” the child asked curiously.

Isabel laughed. “You, bug. You’re now my lucky little firefly.”

Isabel leaned down and kissed Cassandra on the cheek. Cassandra giggled and then pushed her mother away; she was embarrassed by the show of affection, especially outside. Someone could see, after all.

Just as quickly as Isabel felt like she was the biggest failure in the word, she suddenly felt like she had been blessed. Sure, she lost to her mother, but she had a beautiful, healthy, and concerned child. That was enough to put her at ease now.

-*-(New day)-*-

The family reunion was over and it was time to go. Isabel and Cassandra rode in the back of the mini-van with Jason. Jason was lucky to have made it since the drivers voted to leave him behind. Kat was driving, so she had really been trying to leave him.

Isabella was riding next in the middle row with Alexandria. She was sporting a few bandages, just like Isabel and Ellie. They all tried to act like everything was normal, despite their obvious injuries. Isabella did glance back at her eldest daughter and eldest granddaughter. She saw Cassandra was curled up into Isabel; the child’s body was throbbing with constant, dull pain. It was like her heart was beating all over her body.

Isabella did not like the scene, despite how cute it was to see Cassandra cuddled up into Isabel as if Isabel would instantly ease her agony. The pair was just too comfortable, too content for losers. Isabella could not have it; she needed them both to stay hungry.

“So, Izzie, what’ve you became the world’s biggest plush toy? You’re going to go into being a pillow now that you can’t win?” Isabella inquired.

“We’ll see who can’t win next time. You’re getting softer, Mommy. I mean, you knocked me out and I woke up an hour later. What the hell is that about?” Isabel countered.

Isabella did not respond; her daughter had her there. It used to be if she knocked Isabel out, the younger woman would be out for hours. When Isabel was in her teens, she could be out for days. An hour was nothing, even if it was long enough for her to win.

Isabella wondered if she was ready for the day that Isabel surpassed her; she felt anxious. What would she do after that? What would she be? She did not know, but the sensible part of her pointed out that she knew that she wanted it. She wanted Isabel to take her throne from her. It was coming soon; she could feel it. It felt like pure Hell if the bruise on her face was any indication of things.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: a year later, Isabel starts to consider what school she wants to put Cassandra in. Jason doesn’t seem to be as interested, though.


	18. Inverse Electra

Chapter 18: Inverse Electra

-*-(One year later)-*-

Life went on after what Isabel considered her second most humiliating defeat at the family reunion; her first was always going to be the first time against her mother in the final round. Now, she mostly focused on getting prepared for the next tournament, making sure that she kept her workout routine up, adding to it whenever she could, making sure that she had regular work, and of course, she had to take care of her daughter.

Cassandra was now five and she was going to start kindergarten soon. The thought of it made Isabel’s heart jump, but she managed to keep it under control. She could only imagine how her lucky, little firefly—her now official nickname for Cassandra—was going to do in school.

“She’s going to be just like you in school,” Isabella told her daughter. She was over her eldest’s apartment to see her granddaughter. She also brought Alex “the kitten” along since she was babysitting and she knew that Isabel would want to see her niece.

Cassandra and Alexandria were in the living room of the apartment. Cassandra was getting frustrated with her younger cousin, as she tended to do with the younger girl all of the time. She was trying to get Alexandria into a fighting stance, but the two-year-old was not going along with the plan.

“And how was I in school?” Isabel asked curiously. She was skeptical that her mother would be able to answer the question truthfully and accurately, but she was going to wait and see.

The grandmother of two was cool as she responded. “You were a terror of course. You used to kick toys in kids’ faces when you were in kindergarten. When you made it to the number grades, you used to thump kids in the forehead with your knuckle if they said or did something that annoyed you.”

Isabel chuckled a bit. She did that move all the way through school. It was something that she picked up from her mother. Her mother used to reprimand her by hitting her in the forehead with the middle knuckle on her index or middle finger. It was something that hurt like hell if done correctly and it got her into a lot of trouble, which meant that she got thumped in the forehead a lot more. Such a vicious cycle.

“But, that doesn’t make me a terror,” Isabel countered in a dismissive tone, waving her mother off with a simple motion of her hand.

“Oh, I don’t have time to go through that list. Let’s go through your top six, though. One for each grade. In the first grade you actually threw a book at the teacher. It was only by the grace of Fate that she dodged it and you didn’t get expelled right then and there. I’m sure the principal wished you had hit the teacher to save him the grief of having to deal with you for the next six years. Second grade, you broke a desk, tricked a boy into sitting in it, just so you could punch the desk and hit him in the jaw with it.”

The younger warrior cut in at that point. “I had to. He wanted to play doctor,” she defended her actions.

Isabella rolled her eyes, dismissing the excuse. “I’m sure you only did it because you didn’t know what he meant and took it to literally mean ‘doctor.’ I know you’ve always wanted to hit your doctors in the mouth, even your pediatrician.”

“Well…Auntie Kyoko gets on my nerves,” Isabel commented as if that justified her actions.

Isabella rolled her eyes again and snorted through her nose. “Moving on. Third grade, you actually duct taped a classmate to a chair. Thankfully, you didn’t go further than that or you would have been expelled. Fourth grade, well, I’m sure you remember the cafeteria brawl your classmates affectionately named ‘the Apocalypse’ where you took a lunch tray to twelve of your upper-classmen and ended up having the whole school fighting in the lunch room that day. I believe I almost went to jail for child abuse when I was called up there and told the reason why.”

“Well, you did pretty much fracture my skull considering how many times you thumped me in the forehead,” Isabel pointed out, absently rubbing the center of her head with her first two fingers. The ghost of the strikes seemed to be knocking on her skull for a second.

“It wouldn’t have been so bad if you weren’t throwing the tray like a Frisbee while you were at it, trying to put eyes out. And of course you did have to hit that school aide with it before it was all over. Fifth grade, I don’t know what possessed you to put a dog in a choke hold like that, but it’s never good manners to kill a child’s dog,” Isabella stated, shaking her head a little now.

“It was a German Shepard and she sicced it on me. She didn’t want the dog’s neck broke, she shouldn’t have told it to attack,” Isabel countered. Her mother silently agreed with that logic, but it had still be quite the trip up to her elementary school.

“And the prize winner, the sixth grade episode when you cursed out your teacher and kicked the man in the nuts,” Isabella ended the list.

“Well, he was a jackass,” Isabel stated without explaining why. She never did explain why she had done such a thing, mostly because her actions came from that particular teacher making inappropriate remarks about her mother and what he would like to do with her mother. Yeah, well, she wanted to see to it that he would not be doing any such actions with anyone ever again.

“You sent him to the hospital.”

“I wanted to pop one,” Isabel commented. She had kicked him as hard as she could muster at the time. He had passed out, but remained intact in the family jewel area. _Damn weak eleven-year-old legs_ , she mentally cursed.

“And that’s what you’re going to go through with her,” Isabella commented while motioning to Cassandra, who truly looked fed up with her little cousin. It was only going to be a matter of time the adults knew before Cassandra was yelling and hitting the toddler.

“That’s your wish,” Isabel corrected her mother.

“That’s fate. It got me and it shall get you too,” Isabella promised. She had been quite the badass in school, just like Isabel and her mother had warned her that Isabel would be the same. She felt it was only fair to warn Isabel.

“Hey, firefly, stop choking Alex!” Isabel scolded her daughter when she heard the toddler gagging.

“She’s not doing it right!” Cassandra complained, keeping her hands wrapped around her cousin’s neck; her rather stupid cousin as far as she was concerned.

Isabel got up to get her child off of her niece. Isabella only watched the scene as Isabel whacked Cassandra in the forehead with her knuckle to get her off of the baby. Cassandra yelped in surprise and her hand went up her injured forehead.

“It’s just like when Izzie and Kat were little,” Isabella said to herself with a small smile. It was definitely déjà vu.

-8-8-8-8-

Isabel sat with Alexandria while her mother went down stairs with Cassandra, who wanted to show her grandmother some new “toys” in her room. Toys for Cassandra were training tools and practice weapons. She wanted to show her grandmother what she could do with a lot of the equipment.

“I remember when my lucky little firefly was your size,” Isabel said to Alexandria, who she was bouncing on her knee. The blonde child grinned.

“My size!” Alexandria declared while clapping her hands together. She was just like her mother—loud.

“Yeah, she was your size, but not as fun,” Isabel remarked with a smile.

“Fun!”

Isabel laughed; Alex could talk quite clearly, but all she really did was parrot things said to her. The silly habit added to her cuteness in her family’s silent opinion. She seemed to know it was adorable, making sure never to speak unless she was repeating after someone.

Isabel bounced Alex for a little while longer, knowing how much her niece loved the action. She then went to prepare lunch for the toddler after sitting the blonde on the floor. She did turn on the television for Alexandria to watch all of the cartoons that she was in love with.

“So different from Cassie,” Isabel thought to herself about her niece. She was referring to their taste in television shows, even though they were completely different from each other. Cassandra loved watching nature shows, wanting to see animals. Alex only desired to see cartoons. Their love could lead to quite the fight if they were occupying the television at the same time.

She went to put down the simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich down for Alex. She left one for Cassandra on the counter; the five-year-old would come when she was hungry. The one thing that the cousins had in common was having the same favorite sandwich.

“That girl is a little whirlwind,” Isabella commented as she started walking upstairs behind Cassandra, who was racing up stairs for the lunch that she knew would be waiting for her.

“Try living with her,” Isabel remarked.

“I have,” Isabella quipped. After all, Cassandra was the second coming of Isabel in her opinion.

Cassandra ran to the kitchen counter and climbed up on the tall chair. She pulled up to her sandwich and a juice box that was waiting for her. Isabella watched as Cassandra did her ritual with her sandwich, pulling it apart to lick the jelly and peanut butter before putting to back together to eat it all together.

Isabella then glanced over at Alex. The blonde pulled the crust off of her bread and ate that before eating any other parts of the sandwich. Isabella shook her head; such methodical means her grandchildren used to eat simple sandwiches.

“They’re more alike than Cassie would like to know,” Isabella thought to herself.

After a couple of hours, Isabella and Alexandria left. Isabel and Cassandra were each happy to see one go; Isabel was happy to see her mother go while Cassandra was happy to see her cousin go. They then turned their attention to each other.

“Can we do kicks tonight?” Cassandra requested in a low, almost bored tone. Isabella thought that the girl talked just like Isabel, who was told that she talked just like her mother. Isabel hated to consider how far back lines such as that went when it came to her family.

“Of course,” the young mother answered.

Cassandra was referring to what she and her mother would practice together. Every night they spent time working out together. They took turns deciding on what they would focus on, but there was a basic routine that they followed too. They worked out for two hours at night and two hours in the morning. Isabel also had a workout time that went on after Cassandra went to bed, which was much more intense.

After their exercises, Isabel ran a bath for her daughter. While Cassandra splashed around in there, Isabel went to start their dinner. The child could get herself out, which she did. She did not have drying herself off down quite right yet, so when she joined her mother, her pajamas were clinging to her still wet body. Isabel shook her head.

“Boo-boo, what have I said about putting on your clothes when you’re still drenched?” Isabel inquired. She did not even want to touch upon what was going on with her daughter’s hair. Having hair down her back, just like her mother, was not working out for Cassandra in Isabel’s opinion when it came to bath time.

The little girl looked thoughtful for a moment with a finger to the side of her head. “Something about not doing it.” Her tone was honest and she was not trying to be a smart-aleck.

“So, why do you keep doing it?”

Cassandra shrugged and made an “uh-uh” sound. It was easier to just let the air dry her off than trying to do it with the towel. She did not know how her mother got her so dry with the towel. She often thought that the towel was broken when she used it because it never got all the water off of her.

Isabel went to straighten her daughter out, as usual. They had dinner. They chilled out and watched a movie and then Cassandra fell asleep. Isabel put her to bed and then went to do her workout. Once she was done with that, she showered and prepared for bed. Sleep took her moments after she hit the pillow.

When Isabel woke up, she was not surprised that she was not alone in the bed. The one person to share her bed now was her daughter. Cassandra often woke up in the middle of the night and took it upon herself to take up the empty space in her mother’s bed. When she first started the habit, Isabel asked why and Cassandra simply replied in an obvious tone, “more space.” Isabel accepted that without any questions, even though Cassandra slept much like she did, meaning once they settled into a spot, they stayed there. They did not require much space in a bed.

Cassandra was sleeping, curled up with a spare pillow on the large bed. She rested on her left side, which meant that before Isabel woke up, they were sleeping back to back. She imagined that they looked like mirror images, except one smaller and hugged up with a pillow.

“Why do you keep doing this?” Isabel wondered mentally as she leaned over to brush her daughter’s hair out of her face. Her ebony mane had escaped the ties that she used when she slept and it now was poured out over her pillow and much of the bed, like spilled ink.

Isabel did allow one thought travel through her mind for a moment: her daughter was cute. She knew better than to say that to Cassandra as the five-year-old took it as an insult. Alex was cute, she would say, but she was not; cute was for children.

The street fighter felt a familiar feeling flooding her as she stared at Cassandra. Her daughter was growing up so quickly, she thought as her eyes shined with love and fondness. She was proud of the girl, even though Cassandra had not really done anything except live so far. That was good enough for Isabel, like it was for most mothers.

“I think I know what this feeling is…” Isabel whispered as she ran two fingers gently down Cassandra’s cheek. She had been feeling it quite a bit around her little niece. She wanted another baby. “But, that’s just silly,” she reminded herself.

Isabel made to mentally go through her reasons for why it was silly for her to want another baby. She needed to focus on raising the child that she had. She really needed to focus on preparing for the next family tournament. She did not have the time for a baby. Cassandra was already somewhat independent, enough for Isabel to be able to focus on herself a bit. A new baby would throw all of that out of whack. There was a reason that Isabel did not allow to enter her mind, which happened to be she could not have a baby by herself.

Isabel tore herself out of bed and started the morning routine. She had a routine for her days, but would never say that she was in a rut. It was hard to be in a rut with a five-year-old that wanted to beat up everything in sight, whether it moved or not, or if it did something to her or not. And it was hard to be in a rut with the type of work that she did.

“Mommy, whadda we doing today?” Cassandra asked curiously as she slurped down her breakfast. She liked having cream of wheat and she liked it the same way her mother did: watery.

“We’re going out with Daddy today,” Isabel answered. She decided to meet up with Jason because she wanted to talk about Cassandra’s school situation. She knew where she was sending the girl for kindergarten, but just in case he wanted to know, she was going to let him in on it. After all, he always whined about not being included in her life, and by “her” he never meant Cassandra.

“I don’t wanna see him,” Cassandra huffed with a frown. She then put the bowl back to her lips to drink some more of her breakfast.

“Yes, you do,” Isabel assured her daughter. She had her meal in a large cup, which she was drinking from with a little more finesse than her child.

Cassandra shook her head and looked at her mother as if she was some kind of moron. “No, I don’t. I don’t like him,” the child admitted easily, staring into matching emerald eyes for her seriousness to be conveyed.

Isabel sighed. “Bug, we’re going to see your father and don’t say such thing. He loves you and you love him.”

Cassandra rolled her eyes; no, she most certainly did not love him, she mentally insisted. First of all, love was not something discussed in their family, so Cassandra did not think that it was a good thing anyway. No one ever said the word “love” in the Han family in regards to a person. Love was meant for objects and activities as far as Cassandra could tell. And even if love was for people, she was still sure that she did not love her father. She did not even like that guy.

“Why are we seeing him?” Cassandra asked with a frown that twisted her mouth and wrinkled her forehead. Her breakfast was abandoned for the moment, sitting in front of her on the countertop.

“Because we need to see Daddy every now and then,” the mother answered. Her breakfast was also put on hold for the discussion.

“Why?” the child pressed. Things were fine with just her and her mother, her brain insisted. They did not need Jason around messing things up.

“Because he’s your father.”

“So?”

Isabel was starting to get annoyed, as the tight expression taking over her face implied. “Look, we’re going and that’s it.”

Cassandra frowned deeply. She knew that tone from her mother, that hard, argue-with-me-if-you-want-but-it-won’t-get-you-anywhere-except-thumped-in-the-forehead-or-nose voice. So, she held her tongue; those forehead shots hurt.

-8-8-8-8-

Jason sighed as he arrived at the house of his family. He entered on his own, still having a key from when he lived there. He was quite surprised that Isabel had not changed the locks when he moved out so many years ago.

“Hey, you two ready to go?” Jason called upstairs as he walked into the apartment. He stood by the door because he was not in the mood for taking his shoes off.

“We’re coming, dearest,” Isabel replied.

Jason smiled, happy to hear the term of endearment. The ladies did not leave him waiting long. They came downstairs in their summer clothing, knowing that it was a hot day. Isabel had a small bag with her; she rarely carried a purse or bag with her, but she wanted to make sure that she had a few items to protect her daughter’s pale skin from the sun.

Cassandra was dressed in a plain white sleeveless shirt and dark blue shorts that stopped at her knees. Her footwear was plain dark blue sandals and her hair was put into a braided ponytail to keep it off of her back. There were two thick strands of hair left hanging to frame her face.

Isabel hair was left hanging freely; she was accustomed to any and all problems presented by having so much hair. She was dressed similar to her daughter, but everything was a bit more form fitting. Her shorts were also shorter, stopping halfway down her thighs and showing off her dangerously long legs. Jason’s eyes nearly fell out of his head when he saw her.

“Iz, what are you wearing?” Jason demanded to know in a shocked tone. He was having some trouble keeping his jaw from hitting the floor. His brain was screaming “wow!” while at the same time he thought about how men would be looking at her for the whole time while they were out.

“We call them clothes where I come from. Come on, dearest. We do have a day to get started,” Isabel pointed out as she and Cassandra walked passed him.

“You can’t go out like that!” the former football player objected.

“Watch me now,” she replied and continued on her way.

Jason sputtered with indignation. Isabel ignored him as she went to his car. She did not know why he felt the need to tell her what she could and could not do. After knowing her for so long, being in a relationship, and having a daughter, she wished that he understood her better by now. He had to know a little something because he ended his protest right there instead of dragging it out into a full argument.

The family loaded into Jason’s car and took a silent trip to an amusement park. The ride was tense and they were all happy to get out of the sedan about fifteen minutes later. Jason looked down at Cassandra, waiting to see her reaction to where they were. He expected some thanks from her, thinking that he had finally done something that she would enjoy.

“It’s hot,” Cassandra complained with a frown, scanning the area, but not changing her expression. Most children would have jumped for joy to be at the large park and her lack of reaction actually made her father think that she was weird.

“So, why don’t you go get on the water slide?” Jason suggested, pointing over to the ride.

“Come on, Mommy,” Cassandra said, taking her mother by the hand and pulling her away from her father. She thought that they had been around him long enough and did not want to be there when he inevitably started yelling about something. In her opinion, he was always yelling.

Jason followed behind the pair as Cassandra went over to the suggested ride. They waited on the line and Cassandra went down on her own. She was not very satisfied at the end of the ride; it did not cool her off as her father made it seem.

“That was boring,” Cassandra grumbled as she rejoined her parents.

“How about you go on the roller coaster next?” Jason proposed, motioning to the small roller coaster not to far from where they were standing.

“That’s a baby ride,” the child replied with a slight attitude, folding her arms across her chest. She was upset and insulted that he would even think to point out such a puny ride to her.

“Cassie, you’re just a little girl,” he stated.

“I’m a big girl!” Cassandra snorted.

“A very big girl,” Isabel concurred, hoping to quell an argument that was coming up.

Jason and Cassandra tended to do nothing but argue. It seemed that everything Jason said to the child was taken as an insult and Jason just thought that Cassandra was disobedient, rude, and spoiled. He blamed Isabel for that. It did not help matters that he knew so little about Cassandra that he did not know what things were affronts to her, like treating her as if she was a baby.

“And you’re just going to take her side like that? Don’t lie to her,” Jason said to Isabel.

“I’m not. Cassie is a very big girl,” Isabel insisted with a small smile as she reached down to caress the top of her child’s head.

“I’m a big girl,” Cassandra repeated, boasting now. She smiled proudly and puffed out her chest to prove her point.

“Regardless of what your mother tells you, you’re just a little girl,” Jason stated soundly. _A bratty little girl_ , he added in his mind.

“Hey, firefly, why don’t you go buy some cotton candy?” Isabel suggested as she went into her pocket and pulled out a bill.

Cassandra took the money without an argument and marched off to the cotton candy stand ten feet from her parents. Isabel then turned to Jason with a frown. He returned the expression. She folded her arms across her chest and glared at him as if he had shot their daughter.

“What the hell is wrong with you? She’s fucking five years old. Why the hell do you have to get into it with a five-year-old?” Isabel demanded to know through clenched teeth.

“She’s a damn ungrateful brat. Every time I do something for her, she’s got something to say,” Jason countered, seething so badly that it felt like his anger was pouring out of his system and invading the heat around them.

“She’s five!” Isabel stomped her foot. He had been doing things ever since Cassandra was able to talk, and it was getting on her nerves. What was wrong with him? He had been arguing with her and trying to rain on her parade since before Cassandra could speak to argue back.

“She’s spoiled and it’s your fault,” he stated soundly. A smug look settled in his blue eyes.

An all out scowl replaced her frown. “She may be spoiled and it may be my fault, but I imagine you might be able to do change that if you were around more often,” she pointed out.

Jason was not sure how to counter that. He knew how bad it would sound if he said that she did not want him around; it was like admitting that he knew his girlfriend did not like him. Hell, he did not even want to admit to himself that he was not sure if Isabel was his girlfriend anymore.

Isabel would be surprised to hear that. She always assumed that she and Jason’s relationship was the same as always…which was not necessarily a good thing, of course. Still, they were in a relationship in her opinion. It was a main reason in why she would really consider another child, even though she did not want to admit that to herself. He was also one of the main reasons that she did not think another child was a good idea, though.

Jason’s relationship with Cassandra was just…too much, in Isabel’s opinion; she could not really put it into words. She would hate to see how he would get along with another child, even if they did have a son. She imagined he would get along with a boy, but that would not help his relationship with their daughter. He needed to learn to get along with their daughter since she was here now.

“Look, this is ridiculous. You have to stop arguing with her like that. She’s five,” Isabel repeated.

Jason did not argue, but he did not concede that she had a point either. Their conversation was ended as Cassandra came back, grinning like the cat that got the cream and eating a glob of blue cotton candy. She handed her mother back her change with a sticky little hand.

“Let’s go in the scary house, Mommy,” Cassandra requested, taking her mother by the hand and pulling her away. Isabel inwardly groaned because of the sticky substance now on her fingers.

“Wait, that ride’ll warp your mind,” Jason argued, but Cassandra did not even turn to acknowledge him.

“There’s only room for two people,” Cassandra said, looking at the car for the haunted house ride. She smiled and turned to her father. “You could ride by yourself,” she informed him.

“Ha ha ha, but you’re not so big that you’d take up a whole seat,” he pointed out.

Cassandra scowled at Jason, growing even more unhappy when he did get in the cart with her and her mother. A stone cold expression settled on Cassandra’s face as she climbed into the car. She made decided to sit on the corner, putting her mother in the middle. She then focused on her candy as the ride started up.

Isabel was not too pleased with her seat, especially when Jason’s arm found its way around her shoulders. She could not believe that he would try to be affectionate toward her after arguing with her and antagonizing their daughter. But, it was such actions that led her to believe their relationship was the same as always and she did not make a move to get his arm off of her as they went through the haunted house.

“Okay, firefly, you don’t pick anymore rides,” Isabel commented as they got out of the haunted house. If she could possibly be any more bored while being in the dark, she had never experienced it until just now.

“What was so scary about that?” Cassandra wandered aloud, thoroughly disappointed. She could not understand why it had been called a “spooky house” when everything in it was fake, and looked very fake.

“That we actually had to pay for it,” Jason remarked.

“Ah, yes, that will forever frighten my wallet,” Isabel quipped.

Despite her words, Isabel did let Cassandra pick more rides. It kept Cassandra from complaining about the heat. Isabel did not say anything about how hot it was, but it was clear that she was not as comfortable as she would like to be. A thin layer of sweat was working its way onto her body, especially around her neck thanks to her hair.

“Jason,” Isabel commented calmly while watching their daughter on some spin ride.

“Yes?” he answered in a slightly dazed tone.

“You keep staring at them like that and I’m going to assume you like them,” she remarked with a hidden smirk.

Jason made a noise in the back of his throat and his head snapped forward, trying to find something to look at. His eyes had been focused on her breasts just seconds ago; a bead of sweat had caught his attention and that had not waned when the sweat drop ran down her neck, over the swell of her left breast, and retreating between the valley of her chest. She chuckled a bit to herself while he envied her sweat.

“I guess you don’t like them,” she teased.

He frowned and tried to think of something to say. “You just look hot,” he replied.

“I know I do,” she quipped, smiling.

“I didn’t mean it that way,” he objected quickly, defending his words. He put his hands up as if he was fending off an attack.

“Oh, so you don’t think I’m hot?” she inquired, pretending to pout a bit.

“It’s not that! You’re twisting my words!” he huffed.

She chuckled a bit and turned her attention completely back to Cassandra. What was she supposed to do with him? It was a good thing that she did not depend on him for compliments or her self-esteem would have hit rock bottom years ago.

The day went on. Cassandra had other sweets, getting her mother’s hands and arms sticky from dragging her around. Isabel was carrying wipes for just such a thing, though. She cleaned herself off every now and then when Cassandra went to get on a ride.

“So, Cassie is going to be starting kindergarten,” Isabel commented while walking along with Jason. Their daughter was ahead of them, charging off to get on another ride.

“Yeah?” Jason said as if that thought had not occurred to him. Really, it had not. He did not think about their little girl going to school.

“Yes,” Isabel forced herself not to hiss or glare at him. She knew his different tones, so she knew that it had not occurred to him that Cassandra was old enough for school. Did he not think about their little girl at all once she was not with him? Isabel did not even want to know the answer to that because she could not fathom not thinking of their daughter.

Jason did not say anything further that and Isabel decided against offering more. It seemed that he did not have anything to say about their daughter’s education. That was fine by her. She would just send Cassandra to the school that she wanted and if he had something to say about it later, she would remind him about his lack of input that day.

With her objective out of the way, Isabel’s attention went right back to Cassandra. At the end of the day, Jason drove them back home. Cassandra tried to yank her mother out of the car because she knew that every now and then her mother would invite her father up to the apartment for dinner or something. She did not want that to happen.

“C’mon, Mommy,” Cassandra insisted as she opened her mother’s door for her.

“Okay, hold on, firefly. Did you thank Daddy for taking you out today?” Isabel inquired, even though she knew the answer to that.

“Thank you,” Cassandra practically spat in Jason’s direction, causing her father to frown.

“Why don’t you act grateful when you say that?” Jason countered in a hard tone. He did not even bother to stare at her.

“Well, what if I just say fuck you? That better?” Cassandra sneered.

“Firefly!” Isabel reached down and did the dreaded knuckle-thump right in the center of her daughter’s forehead.

“Ow! It’s not my fault, Mommy! He’s being an asshole! Hit him!” Cassandra insisted while backing away from the car to avoid getting hit again. A tear threatened to build in her eye as she rubbed her sore forehead.

“You don’t talk to your Daddy like that. Now, apologize to him,” Isabel ordered, pointing inside the car in case her child needed directions.

Cassandra looked like her mother just pulled a gun on her. _Apologize? To him?! But, he was the one being a jerk!_ She looked over at Isabel, wanting to see if the woman was serious.

“I’ll be damned,” Cassandra muttered. She could tell from the stern look on her mother’s face and the hard look in those emerald eyes that her mother was serious. She was going to object to apologizing, but the pain in the center of her forehead told her that would be a bad idea. “Sorry,” she coughed out.

Jason still looked a bit incensed because of the weak apology. “That’s not good enough. You don’t mean it,” he huffed.

“Jason,” Isabel said, turning to him now. _It was like dealing with two five-year-olds!_

“What? She didn’t mean it and I’m not going to accept an apology she doesn’t mean. She’ll just keep doing things like that then, thinking she’ll get off easy,” he argued. He thought that would just be teaching her insincerity…not to mention he just did not want to let her off of the hook.

If that was the case, he would not be accepting any of her apologizes, they all thought. With that in mind, Isabel just decided that it was time to go. She leaned over and gave Jason a peck on the cheek.

“See you later, dearest,” Isabel said in her usual tone as she exited the car.

Cassandra smiled as she realized her mother was not going to invite her father up. She eased over to the side, and now Jason was able to see the look of joy on her face. He frowned when she had the nerve to wave at him, letting him know that she was aware he saw her. She then went upstairs with her mother, happy that they were alone again. She hoped that they would not be seeing Jason for a long time now.

“Mommy, let’s go to the fair again tomorrow,” Cassandra suggested as they started to make themselves comfortable at home.

“I’ll think about,” Isabel replied, knowing that Cassandra wanted to go again, but without Jason. She hoped that the next five years of Cassandra’s life, her relationship with Jason would somehow change. What was the point in having a father if he was going to act like a kid, anyway? Well, a kid that did not get along with Cassandra to make matters worse.

Isabel sighed as she thought about. Yeah, she supposed that she was not going to have any more children. But, at least she had her lucky, little firefly.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: both mother and daughter get into trouble when Cassandra starts going to school.


	19. Double Trouble

Chapter 19: Double Trouble

“Mommy, do I gotta do this?” Cassandra asked as she and her mother walked down the street, side by side. She had a book-bag on her back along with a plain white dress shirt, which caused her to frown deeply. She was not a fan of the black slacks that she was wearing either. She did not understand why she could not wear her usual clothes that day and she had griped about it for most of the morning.

“Yes, you have to do this. It’s something we all must do eventually,” Isabel answered plainly. She was dressed as she usually was when it was hot, which was a sleeveless light blue shirt that hugged her body. She had on indigo capris with matching canvas sneakers.

“Why? It’s stupid,” Cassandra declared, throwing her hands up to emphasis her point. “We could be at home working on fighting right now!” she pointed out, looking up at her mother as if that would help change Isabel’s mind.

“We’ll do that when you get home. This is something you have to do,” the mother countered calmly.

“You did it?” Cassandra asked curiously, face scrunched up as if she was skeptical that her mother had gone through with things.

“Of course I did. So did your aunts and your grandmother. This is something you have to do, just like everyone else,” Isabel assured her child as they came to their destination, which was a beige-colored building cut off from the street by a bright green iron gate.

“Everyone goes to kindergarten?” Cassandra asked curiously, an eyebrow cocked and the eye underneath it opened wider than the opposite eye.

“Of course!” Isabel promised with a smile.

Cassandra turned her mouth up, still looking quite skeptical on the matter. Isabel just ignored the look and marched into through the opening in the gate and into the building. There were parents and children in the lobby of the three-story school building. All of the children were dressed similar to Isabel’s daughter.

“What the hell is this place?” Cassandra wondered while looking around at all of the people. She considered maybe it was a fair, but it was too early in the morning and she noticed that there were no teenagers around. _Besides_ , her brain pointed out, _no fair ever took place inside a building._

“I guess I wasn’t the only one running a little late,” Isabel commented to herself while also looking around at all of the people. She supposed that it was bad for her daughter to be late on very first day of school, but Isabel was not really used to being on a schedule yet. Any type of schedule, at all, but it was nice to know that she was not the only person that was late.

Isabel decided to go to the sign in desk and explain that her daughter was there for kindergarten. The security guard at the desk informed her that all of the kindergarten classes were on the first floor through the double doors that cut off the lobby from the rest of the building. She could also go to the main office if she needed to find out the exact class.

“Thank you,” Isabel said politely to the guard as she was handed a visitor’s pass. She then turned her attention down to her daughter. “Come on, firefly,” she said.

Cassandra frowned slightly, but she stuck close to her mother as the tall fighter walked off. They made their way through the warm yellow double doors and saw the main office first. Isabel did not need to stop there because she did know what class her daughter was in.

The mother and daughter made almost no noise as they strolled down the tiled hallway, ignoring all of the cheerful “welcome back” signs and “welcome new students” signs that painted the walls. They came to a door and Isabel checked the number, nodding to herself. Even though the door was open, she knocked as she stepped into the room.

“Hello,” Isabel called to the only adult in the room.

The teacher, a young-looking woman with long black hair and a deep cocoa complexion, turned in an elegant spin, her hair creating a spiral around her. Her eyes lit up as she caught sight of undoubtedly a new student—Cassandra. The teacher took long strides over to the mother and daughter, her dress flowing with her as if it was an extension of her body.

“You must be another student for me,” the teacher said to Cassandra. The eager educator was smiling delightedly as she looked down at the child.

“Yes, this is Cassandra Goo—” Isabel started, but her daughter cut in.

“Han. Cassandra Han,” the five-year-old sharply corrected her mother. No way in hell she was going to go around with _that_ man’s last name!

“Fine, Cassandra Han,” Isabel concurred. It did say that on the girl’s birth certificate anyway. It was also the name that Cassandra was registered under, so it would make things easier to just use Han.

“Oh, that is an adorable name for an adorable…” the teacher began, but Isabel started shaking her head, letting the teacher know that she did not want to go that route with Cassandra. The look on the child’s face confirmed that the teacher was not speaking her language.

“My name isn’t adorable,” Cassandra stated soundly with an indignant glint in her emerald eyes. Adorable was not something that a warrior would ever be, she decided a little while ago. Her mommy was not adorable. Her grandmother was not adorable. Even her bubbly Aunt Kat was not adorable. She did mentally add that her annoying little cousin was adorable and she could kick that kid’s butt.

“Right,” the teacher agreed with a smile, having no problem with appeasing the child.

“Hey, bug, go look around for a while,” Isabel urged her daughter, who did not argue, but she did frown as she went deeper into the room. Isabel then turned her attention to the teacher. “Sorry I got the bug here a little late. Neither of us has quite adjusted yet to the school situation,” she admitted with an amused look shining in her jade eyes.

“It’s quite all right. It’s not like you got her here at noon or anything,” the teacher replied with a light chuckle.

“This is true. Oh, I’m her mother, Isabel Han,” she introduced herself.

“Miss Chang,” the teacher replied. The pair shook hands.

“I’m going to apologize in advance for any shenanigans Cassie gets into. She’s got a limited amount of patience,” the street fighter said quite modestly. From watching Cassandra interact with her cousin and the way she was always getting on Alex’s case, it was pretty clear that she had no patience at all.

“I’m sure everything will be fine. She seems like a girl I just have to treat like an adult,” Miss Chang commented.

“That would be the best way to deal with her. She can be reasoned with, but also like any other little kid, she can be bribed. If push comes to shove, you just tell her you’re going to call me and I’m sure that’ll straighten her up,” Isabel replied with a nonchalant shrug. She glanced in the direction of her daughter to make sure that she was not getting into trouble already.

The teacher nodded to show that she understood. “I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

“That I have no doubt on,” Isabel concurred. She just had some doubt that the other students and that the teacher might not be fine. “Well, I shall leave her to you. She knows every emergency number you’ll need if something happens. If you see her about to do something that’ll get her hurt, let her do it. It’s the only way she’ll learn not to do it again,” she remarked, smiling and making it seem like she was joking.

Miss Chang laughed a little, taking the comment as a joke. Isabel then called her “firefly” over. Cassandra trotted over with a sour look on her face, her mouth turned down in a sneer and her arms were folded across her chest. Isabel’s gaze narrowed ever-so slightly as her daughter stood before her.

“Firefly, first and foremost, fix your face,” Isabel commanded.

“But—” Cassandra dared to try to argue, but her mother interjected before she could get passed that one word.

“No, I don’t want to hear it. Fix your face,” Isabel ordered again, pointing a rigid index finger at her child for a second.

Cassandra made a noise deep in her throat, but low enough for her to get away with it. She puffed out her cheeks for a moment to get the scowl off of her face, which worked. Her expression was still tight, making it very obvious that she did not want to be there.

“Now, bug, you behave for Miss Chang. If I come back to get you and get a bad report, you’re not going to get to practice tonight,” Isabel informed her child.

“But—!” the girl tried to protest, as if she knew that she was not going to do well in her new environment, but her mother was not looking to hear it. A swift hand slicing through the air cut out any other words that Cassandra planned to say.

“You be a good little bug, firefly. Don’t disgrace your family.”

Cassandra huffed, but she nodded to show that she understood. Isabel rubbed the top of her daughter’s head and then left, just like that. There was no goodbye, no hug, nothing. Miss Chang thought it was quite the odd exchange, but she noticed that Cassandra did not seem to mind…although green eyes did linger on the doorway for a long time.

“Come on, Cassandra, everything will be fine,” the teacher tried to assure her new student.

“No, it won’t,” Cassandra grumbled. She could already tell that she was surrounded by idiots and she hated idiots.

-8-8-8-8-

Isabel hoped that her daughter tried to get along with the other kids for at least a few days before she did anything to get into real trouble. She wanted to be able to keep Cassandra in that school. It was a well known private school and it was the talk of the town quite often as far as schools went.

Isabel wanted the best for her baby and that included education. Sure, she had not taken high school very seriously and she never thought about going to college, but that did not mean that she did not think schooling was important. She thought that education and vast knowledge was quite important and her daughter was going to get that come Hell or High water. At least until Cassandra was of a legal age to decide that she did not want to do that anymore.

The tall street fighter was distracted from her thoughts as she walked by an alley and a curious sight caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. She stopped dead in her tracks and put her walk in reverse until she was at the opening of the small alley. Just as she thought, she commented in her mind; three guys were beating the piss out of a younger looking fellow.

Isabel craned an eyebrow. Usually, she would have minded her own damn business, assuming the kid had done something to deserve the beating, but there was something that rubbed her the wrong way about three large, obviously grown men pounding on a scrawny, probably-not-even-teenage-yet boy.

“Excuse me, gentlemen,” Isabel said, drawing attention to herself. The fighting, if it could be called that, stopped for a moment as the men turned to look in her direction.

One of the men let out a wolf whistle while another just clicked his teeth when they took in the sight of Isabel. She chuckled a bit and made a mental note to hurt those two no matter what was going on in the alleyway. She was curious, though.

“What’s going on here?” Isabel inquired while folding her arms across her chest and cocking her hip out a bit.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, we’ll get to you soon enough,” the whistler replied. He was a huge guy, nearly six and a half feet tall and easily two hundred and fifty pounds. His two cohorts were just as big, but the guy that they were beating on was much smaller in both height and weight.

“No, actually, I’ll get to you soon enough. That kid looks like he should be going to school, not getting unlicensed dentistry in a back alley,” she remarked, a devilish half-smirk working its way onto her face.

“So? What’s you going to do about it?” the teeth-clicker inquired with a sneer.

“So glad you asked.” Isabel sprang into action after that.

The three men did not really have time to react. Isabel came in with a speed that they could not believe was even possible. A powerful punch crashed into the jaw of the whistler and as he was falling back, Isabel spun on one leg to whip her other leg into the teeth-clicker’s cheek. The sound was enough to make any passerby wince and stay away from finding out what caused the noise.

While the rude pair was reeling from those “love taps,” Isabel went over to the silent fellow. Luckily, she was a tall woman because she was going to be able to get to the spaces on his body that she wanted to. She grabbed him, taking a fist full of his shirt and shoved him against a wall. Before he even knew that he had been pushed, her elbow was in his ribs. She hit him a half-dozen times, knowing she broke at least two of his left ribs. She punched him in the center of his chest as she released his shirt.

Isabel was well aware that the whistler was creeping up on her, trying to catch her in a sneak attack, so she turned into a roundhouse kick, hitting him almost as hard as she could in the face. Her foot made a “crunch sound against his skull. He tumbled back, falling against the alley wall. Last was the teeth-clicker and he stupidly came at her anyway.

The cream-skinned woman met him with her foot planted directly in his chest. He made an unflattering gagging noise, but she did not pay it any mind. She practically crushed his ribs with her legs and feet by the time he fell to the ground. He spit up a large amount of blood before passing out in his own life force. None of the mammoth-sized men moved from their spaces on the hard concrete. She did not think twice about the men that she just dropped and turned her attention to the young man that they were beating on.

“So, what did you do?” Isabel inquired in an almost mean tone.

“None of your business,” the young man replied harshly while trying to pick himself up from the ground. She stopped him by putting her foot on his shoulder and pushing him downward. He screamed in pure agony.

“OW! What the hell is wrong with you, lady?!” he demanded to know with a snarl twisting his features.

“What the fuck did you do?” she asked again as calm as before with the same edge as before. Her emerald eyes cut into his defiant hazel ones. He let out a hiss sound, turning his head, feigning the need to spit, but he really just could not take looking to such powerful jade eyes.

“I robbed a guy that works for them,” he admitted.

“Brilliant. Why would you do a thing like that?”

“None of your damn business.”

Isabel chuckled a bit. “You’re obviously an idiot. Most people would be a little more grateful to the person that saved them from a horrible, possibly deadly ass-kicking. But, you go ahead and enjoy being a dick.”

Isabel removed her foot and started walking off, not caring about what happened to the idiot kid now. If he was stupid enough to steal and get caught, then he deserved the ass-kicking in her opinion. If he did not know how to accept and appreciate help, then he deserved whatever else he had coming to him in her opinion too. She would not lose any sleep over it; she had more important things to worry about.

Isabel was more concerned about her daughter at school than anything else. She went back home, looking to start her workout to kill some time. She thought that it was a good sign when she did not get a phone call about Cassandra by the end of the day. Maybe the girl actually did well in a school environment, Isabel considered.

“Yeah, right,” the raven-haired woman scoffed at her own thoughts.

She did take a shower and throw on some new clothes, wanting to be fresh and on time to get Cassandra. She checked the clock, as she had done hundreds of times that day, and decided to leave when she had less than fifteen minutes to make it to the school. She jogged on the way, a familiar feeling of being watched came over her. She glanced around while running, taking in her surroundings, but she did not stop or change destinations. _If someone wants to start with me, then I’m just going to wait for it_.

Isabel got to the school right on time during dismissal. She watched as the parents all picked up their children as they were being let out of school. Miss Chang escorted over her daughter to her; no other students were walked out by their teachers. Isabel wondered what the girl got into already.

“Good afternoon, Missus Han,” Miss Chang said in a cordial tone with a bright, but forced smile on her face.

“Good afternoon, and please just call me Isabel,” the street fighter insisted. She was not even going to go into the problem with calling her “missus” anything.

“Very well. I was hoping I could have a word with you about our good friend Cassandra,” Miss Chang informed the young mother.

“What did the bug do already?” Isabel asked while cutting her eyes down to her child.

“I didn’t do nothing!” Cassandra insisted with her mouth turned up and her arms snapped across her chest.

“I don’t believe I asked the little firefly. Adults are talking now,” Isabel informed her child, which only insulted her more, putting a scowl on her young face.

“I could talk for myself, though,” Cassandra mumbled in a huff.

“This has to do with Cassandra’s…vocabulary. Several times in class today she used the ‘f’ word as well as other curse words. When I scolded her about it, she says you allow it,” Miss Chang explained.

“Oh, I apologize about that. We come from a family of military people,” Isabel lied. “Cassandra’s been hearing harsh language since she was born, much like I have. It’s difficult to get her to understand that some words aren’t for certain crowds yet.”

Cassandra looked up at her mother, her eyes declaring what a horrible, dirty liar the older woman was. Isabel did not pay her daughter any mind, staying focused on Miss Chang, who nodded to show that she understood.

“Okay, but I would suggest you doing something about her mouth. Other parents aren’t going to be happy if their children come home repeating words like that. They’re going to want to know where the kids are learning those things from,” the teacher pointed out.

Isabel nodded. “I’ll try my best to break her of the habit. Thank you for telling me, though. Come on, bug. Let’s go home.”

Cassandra adjusted her book-bag and followed her mother away from the crowd in front of the school. They were silent for most of the walk, focusing ahead of them, but taking in their surrounding too. Cars zipped by them and every now and then a person passed them on the street, but no sort of conversation occupied their time for a while.

“Mommy, am I in trouble?” Cassandra asked curiously.

Isabel only glanced down at her daughter, which was just as good as any verbal answer. If she was in trouble, Cassandra knew that she would never have to ask. Her mother would make her thoroughly aware if she was in trouble.

“We just need to work on your vocabulary. Didn’t I tell you try not to curse at school?” Isabel asked.

“It’s fucking hard. Those kids are fucking idiots! And they kept wanting the toys I was playing with!” Cassandra complained with a frown. _Stupid classmates just wouldn’t leave me be to play with the stupid building blocks_.

“Look, boo-boo, people are always going to be fucking stupid. It’s annoying fact of life, but you have to learn to deal with them to a certain extent,” Isabel informed the girl.

“I don’t wanna.”

“You have to or you’re just going to be worked up for your life. Take your pick.”

Cassandra frowned deeply, looking decades older than she was. Dealing with stupid people all of her life? Well, she supposed that she already had practice with it considering her father and her cousin. She doubted that people came any stupider than those two.

Isabel did not address the issue once Cassandra was silent about it. She really had no intention of trying to clean up her daughter’s language either. She knew that Cassandra would either taper off her swearing on her own as she got older or she would swear like a sailor for her whole life, and the latter was probably to happen because she was certain that there was no way in hell anyone else in their lives were going to miraculously stop casually swearing any time soon. Cassandra was going to remain exposed and continue to think that there was nothing wrong with cursing.

-*-(New day)-*-

Isabel hummed a song to herself as she took her now daily jog up to Cassandra’s school. She once again felt like she was being watched and after a week, it was getting on her nerves. She wanted to strike, but if her mother had taught her nothing else, patience was a virtue that she needed to have. So, she continued on her way.

-8-8-8-8-

Cassandra waited by the school gate inside the schoolyard for her mother, which was where the children were supposed to wait for anyone picking them up. She leaned against the iron bars and folded her arms across her chest, mentally complaining about her tardy mother. She then cut her eyes to her left as a man stood next to her. She did not like the looks of him, especially since she never saw him around the schoolyard before.

At first, the man did not even seem to notice Cassandra. He was dressed in a nice tan suit, which was not uncommon for the men that came to pick up their children. He was clean cut with an almost bald head and sharp dark brown eyes, eyes that turned to look down at the pale child next to him.

“Is your name Cassandra Han?” he asked curiously.

“Who the fuck wants to know?” she countered. She never was taught to not speak with strangers.

He chuckled a bit. “You waiting for your mommy?”

Cassandra frowned, looking much like her mother when she was displeased by someone knowing too much information. “The fuck is it to you?”

“You’ve got quite the mouth on you. I’m here to pick you up.”

“The hell you are. I don’t think you want me to let all the nice people to know there’s a child molester trying to kidnap me,” Cassandra commented quite calmly. Her aunt Kat taught to always accuse strangers of being child molesters if they did approach her and if the stranger had a “weird” reaction, she should scream and point that the person was a child molester.

The man chuckled a bit. Cassandra craned an ebony eyebrow. She was going to mark that down as a “weird” reaction; who the hell would laugh when being accused of being a child molester? She was about to do just as her aunt taught her, but she found it was unnecessary.

“Excuse me, sir, is there something you need?” a curious and oddly polite voice asked from behind the suited man. He turned around swiftly, trying to hide his surprise that someone was able to get so close to him that she was speaking in his ear. He faced a smiling Isabel; for some reason, the sight made his blood freeze in his veins while his heart started working triple-overtime.

“Uhh…” he stammered for a moment. His brain had clicked off at the sight of her.

“Cassie, sweetie, was this man bothering you?” Isabel asked curiously, looking down at her child with devilish glee sparkling in her emerald eyes. Her daughter instantly and instinctively recognized the expression, knowing that her words could get a man killed.

“He was asking weird questions, like who I was and if my mommy was coming to get me. He knows my name,” Cassandra answered.

“Really?” Isabel seemed to brighten considerably, clasping her hands together as she turned her attention back to the gentleman that obviously had a death wish that he wanted her to fulfill. “So, my bug has a stalker already at such a young age. Sir, how about you and I step to the side for a moment and talk?” she suggested.

The suited man’s brain finally kicked back in. “That might be best,” he agreed, trying his best to put some edge in his voice. The attempt was not even recognized by the mother and daughter.

Isabel turned her attention back to her daughter. “Wait here for one second, firefly. If Mommy doesn’t come back, avenge her by killing your grandmother.”

Cassandra laughed a bit. She figured that she would never understand why her mother pretended to dislike her grandmother so much. After all, her grandmother was an amazing woman.

Isabel walked away from the crowded school scene with the suited man. They did not travel too far, which was by design. Isabel wanted to keep an eye on Cassandra in case something foul was in the air. If Cassandra was a little older, maybe she would not think too hard on it, but right now, Cassandra was five and there was only so much that a five-year-old could do against grown men.

Isabel leaned up against the iron gate in a similar fashion as her daughter was doing. They were standing by an empty section of the schoolyard. The man shifted a little, but made sure to stop when he noticed how hard she was staring at him, even though her eyes looked so calm and cool. She seemed like a big cat, watching prey that she knew she could catch whenever the urge overcame her.

“Let’s get one thing out in the open first, I don’t give two fucks who you or what the fuck you want from me. It could be good, it could be bad, it could be whatever, but if you ever in your fucking life approach my daughter again, your grave is going to be a hole in a landfill with sea gulls and rats as your only company, got it?” she inquired with a dark look fogging over her vibrant lime eyes.

He gulped, doubting that he had ever seen a young woman look so serious in all his days. “Understood.”

“Good. Now what the fuck do you want?” she demanded in a harsh tone.

“Last week you stuck your nose in business that didn’t concern you.”

Isabel instantly knew what he was talking about. “So, the fuck what?” she asked impatiently.

“Those men you attacked work for Cougar Gent.”

Isabel continued to look disinterested. “So, the fuck what?”

“Cougar Gent,” he repeated. “He—”

“I know who the fuck the man is. I don’t need his fucking life story. What the fuck is your point of seeing me?” she demanded to know, narrowing her gaze. Maybe he was up for a challenge. It would feel good to eat a couple of hundred men for breakfast, she thought.

The suited man was stunned by the woman’s nonchalance, especially since she claimed to know who Cougar Gent was. She did not start at the sound of his name or tremble for a moment at what he could do. She stood there as if he just told her the weather was hot and sunny.

“He wants you to work for him,” the suited man informed her.

That declaration got a slight reaction from Isabel; her eyebrow twitched. What the hell did the top of a criminal organization what from her as far as work went? She was now intrigued and decided that she might have to hear the rest of the proposal out.

“Continue,” Isabel told him.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: find out if Isabel takes the job.


	20. A wise guy

Chapter 20: A wise guy

Isabel stood before a man in an expensive suit while he explained that a man by the name of Cougar Gent had taken an interest in her. She knew just who Cougar Gent was and for most it would be unwise to turn down the proposal that the suited man was setting out. Isabel did not seem as impressed as most others, he noticed. He was not sure what to make of that because he never had to deal with indifference after dropping his boss’ name.

“I’ll think about it and get back to him,” Isabel said blandly at the end of the business proposal.

“You’ll think about it?” he asked in disbelief. His eyebrows dark eyebrows arched high on his head.

“Yes, I’ll think about it,” she stated once again, just as plainly as the first time.

Isabel then turned away from him, her hair twirling behind her as if it was some special effect that made her seem more elegant. He could only watch in disbelief as she walked away from him. That woman…maybe she was a demon of some kind, he considered. It was the only way for him to explain how she could act like she had more power than his boss. _Maybe she really did not know who Cougar Gent was_.

Isabel returned to her daughter and the pair walked off. Isabel put the encounter out of her head and did not think anything about Cougar Gent. At least until the man actually called her home.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve,” Isabel commented, practically humming as she spoke into her phone. 

“You’re a hard woman to track down and somehow you’ve managed to scare William enough to not find you again.”

“William’s a smart man then. I would suggest that you keep your goons away from my daughter’s school. If she gets so much as a scraped knee because of them, you’re all going to grow to hate the very mention of my name. Now, I suspect you phoned because of business. What is it you want with me?” she asked almost as if she cared, leaning back on her sofa.

“William told me about your abilities and I’ve heard about you through some mutual friends—” he was cut off.

“I was unaware I had friends for us to have any mutual ones,” the pale woman remarked drolly.

He chuckled a bit, sounding just a little uneasy. “Well, whatever the case may be, I was hoping we could meet in person and talk over a few matters.”

“I don’t see why we can’t talk these matters over on the phone, unless of course, there’s a tap on the line or something,” she quipped, smiling a bit as she spoke. She knew he would not find that funny.

“It would be best if you came in,” he said, keeping a friendly voice, but his manner was a bit clipped now.

“If you’ve heard about me through ‘mutual friends’ you should know that I need a reason to go anywhere.”

“The fact that I know where you daughter goes to school isn’t reason enough?” He had the good sense to sound playful and curious rather than threatening.

“The fact that I could kill you without putting this phone down should be reason enough for you to stop commenting on my daughter. It makes me uncomfortable,” she commented quite seriously, but sounding as she normally did. She doubted that he had heard enough about her if he was going to try to bring up Cassandra to move her anywhere.

Cougar was quiet for a moment. _This woman_ , he thought to himself; something about her sent chills down his spine without even meeting her. It was not the sound of her voice, but just something that she managed to project.

He was told that she had that affect on people and no one truly understood why. After all, looking at her, sure she was like an Amazon, but she was like a sexy Amazon, not one that could easily snap a grown man in half. To make matters even more puzzling about how she made him shiver was the fact that he had power that he was certain she could not begin to fathom. He should have been amused that she was trying to threaten him, but he could not even force out a laugh.

“All right, Miss Han. I’ll cut to the chase over the phone since you wish to be difficult. William already told you part of the matter. What he failed to add was that the pay is much better than those cage fights get you. The pay is also steady.”

Isabel was quiet for a moment now. She weighed her options; more pay would be a plus in her life as she needed to save money for Cassandra’s college tuition…in case Cassandra wanted to go anyway. Hell, Cassie could end up growing up like her and finding that a formal education was not really the thing for her, but she needed to be prepared. In fact, everything that came to mind on the plus side was to be prepared in case Cassandra wanted something in the future.

The downside was that if she took whatever job he wanted to give her might take time away from her training and being with her daughter. Neither of those were pleasing options in her opinion. But, that did not mean that she did not have to meet with him to find out what he wanted from her life. It was something that she did not want to do, she could easily walk away.

“When and where would you like to meet?” Isabel asked curiously, resting her elbow on the arm of the couch and leaning her chin on her hand.

Cougar maintained a business-like tone when he answered. “Ah, so you’ve made the wise decision here.”

Isabel frowned because of that statement, but she did not argue it as he informed her of where to be and when to be there. After getting that information, she had to get going because she had to pick up Cassandra from school…and she knew that was going to be a nice moment of her time. After all, Cassandra could only go a couple of days without getting into trouble and it was the fateful third day.

“Isabel,” Miss Chang, Cassandra’s teacher, said as she approached the pale martial artist with a pouting Cassandra in tow. She had permission to be quite informal with Isabel and at this point in the school year, a whole month into it, Isabel was ready to give the woman permission to slap her daughter in the back of the head if it would help her act right.

“I knew it,” Isabel muttered to herself while putting on a smile as she greeted her daughter’s teacher. “Miss Chang, how are you?” she asked. She suspected that the woman was ready to tear her hair out with the way Cassandra acted sometime.

“Not too well, Isabel. Cassandra is at it again,” Miss Chang reported with a tired sigh.

“I only—!” Cassandra tried to butt in, but a hand up from her mother silenced her. She puffed out her pale, chubby cheeks while folding her arms across her chest while her mother and teacher carried on with their conversation.

“She’s not still doing the thing with the glue, is she?” Isabel asked curiously.

“No, she’s definitely cut that out. She’s back this thing choking students that disagree with her. Of course, she stops when I say something, but the fact is, she shouldn’t be doing it at all,” Miss Chang explained.

Isabel cut her eyes down to her daughter. “Firefly, we’ve talked about you choking your classmates.”

“But, they’re idiots!” Cassandra complained. 

“Disagreeing with you doesn’t make someone an idiot. I’ve told you that and Miss Chang has told you that. What part of that don’t you get?” Isabel inquired, sounding calm, but she was tempted to thump her daughter in the forehead. The only reason she did not was because she knew that it bothered the teacher to see her do it. She did not want to get Miss Chang in trouble if someone claimed that she was abusing her child in front of the teacher and the teacher did not report it.

Cassandra wisely remained quiet. She turned her eyes to the ground and kicked around imaginary rocks. She wanted to frown, but she knew that would get her hit in the forehead, people around or not.

“Oh, from your silence, I’m guessing you understand it all, so there shouldn’t be a problem. So, that means when I come up here to get you tomorrow, all I’m going to hear from Miss Chang is a hello to which I can respond in kind to and we can go on our way?” Isabel asked her daughter.

“Yes,” Cassandra grumbled. She did not catch all of that; she was only five, after all. But, she got the gist of it to mean that she better not choke anybody tomorrow.

“Miss Chang, you know what to do if Cassandra has any problems tomorrow,” Isabel said and the teacher nodded.

“You hear that, Cassandra? I’m going to have to make a phone call tomorrow if you keep up this behavior,” Miss Chang said, knowing that would get to the child, even though she liked to act like did not care.

True to her nature, Cassandra rolled her eyes, pretending like a phone call meant nothing to her. But, it was a known lie for the simple fact that she had actually begged the teacher not to call her house not even a week ago. She had been on punishment at the time and knew that more trouble would mean less training time and absolutely no cartoons forever. It was a fate worse than death to the child.

“Well, Miss Chang, have a good day. The little firefly should be right as rain tomorrow,” Isabel remarked.

Miss Chang nodded in agreement with that, knowing full well that Cassandra would be fine for the next couple of days and then find some new way to get into trouble. She wondered if Cassandra acted out when she was in school because Isabel seemed to be so strict with her. Surely Cassandra could not behave the way she did at school when she was at home; her mother would never allow it, the teacher figured. It was the best theory she had at the moment for Cassandra’s attitude.

The mother and daughter began their journey home. They walked silently as usual, neither paying the other much mind, or so it seemed. If a stranger passed them by, it would have been easy to assume the pair was not even together…until looking at them anyway.

“Bug, tomorrow I might not come get you,” Isabel said out of the blue.

“Then who will?” Cassandra asked, keeping a normal tone. She was curious on the inside about what her mother had to do that would keep Isabel from picking her up. It had never happened in her short school career.

“I’m going to see if your Grandma will.”

Cassandra nodded; she would not mind if her grandmother picked her up. She supposed that she would have to be on her best behavior tomorrow, though, to make sure that Miss Chang did not give a bad report to her grandmother. There was just something inside of her that told her that she did not want her grandmother upset with her; she had actually never experienced her grandmother being angry with her and she did not want to start with a poor report from Miss Chang. 

-*-(Next day)-*-

Isabel made her way into a rather elaborate-looking building in the middle of one of the business areas of the city. The building was covered in eye-catching blue stones rather than the red brick of every other building on the block. The windows were large and tinted an aqua. The building was also long rather than tall like all the other surrounding buildings. It only had three floors instead of having at least five like the surrounding structures.

She entered as if she owned the place, earning stares from the pair of security guards seated at the marble desk in the lobby. She ignored them and went about her business, which shocked them for a few seconds. Once they realized that she was just going to disrespect them by not acknowledging their presences at all, their minds clicked on.

“Hey!” both men barked as they climbed their feet.

The noise got Isabel to turn around; _hey, they might prove to be some fun_. She noticed that they were almost like a classic comedy duo, opposites of each other, except for the fact that they were both obviously muscular. One was tall and the other short. The tall one had glasses while the other was smoking a cigarette. The one with glasses had his long, blond hair pulled into a tight ponytail while the shorter one had his head shaved bald. 

“Yes, gentlemen?” Isabel asked with a sickeningly sweet smile that did not match the devilish glint in her eyes.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” the smaller man demanded to know in a rough tone. He stood as if bullets would bounce off his chest, trying to intimidate her.

“Oh, I have an appointment, but I really don’t see how that’s any of your business,” she replied, still smiling. She was trying to start trouble, mostly because the guards seemed to be asking it—in her opinion.

“You can’t just walk in here like that, miss,” the taller man said in a more reasonable tone than his partner.

“Oh no? Well, you could stop me and make me late for my appointment, which I assure you isn’t a wise decision. Or, you could go back to your desk, continue watching your cartoons, and leave me to my business,” she explained calmly.

“Ma’am,” the blond male said in his own calm tone, but he did not go any further than that because his shorter partner interjected.

“Hey, don’t come in here trying to run things! Do you know who owns this place?” the smaller fellow demanded to know.

“The man that I have an appointment with I do believe,” Isabel commented, smiling like a shark.

The guards were shocked to hear that and it showed on their faces. They almost took a step back too, not used to hearing that people were there to see the headman, but they managed to maintain their ground. Isabel kept smiling, looking more and more like a demon now.

“If you guys want to keep holding me up, feel free. I’ll just be sure to get your names before I leave and explain to Cougar that I decided to go about my business because of two nosy ass toy cops,” Isabel stated.

The guards were now a mixed of nervous and furious; they did not like that “toy cops” remark. But, they also had no desire to be the cause of their boss’ appointment leaving. The taller one hurried to the desk, getting on the phone while the short one kept an eye on Isabel.

“I don’t have time for this,” Isabel declared, whipping around to be on her way.

“Hey!” the bald guard barked and he actually put his hand on his gun. “You better stop!” he commanded.

Isabel kept walking, going the short distance to the elevators. She did not even bother to look in the direction of the guards, even though she sensed that the short one was about to do something stupid. Before the stupid thing happened, the blond guard spoke up.

“Wait, it’s all right. The boss is expecting her,” the taller man informed his partner.

“Expecting her?” the shorter man echoed in a confused voice. His hand remained positioned on a gun that Isabel was fairly certain most normal security guards did not or would not carry.

Isabel smiled at the pair and had the nerve to wave goodbye to them as the elevator arrived with a high “bing” signaling that it was at the lobby. She got on the elevator and went about her business.

Getting off at the third floor, Isabel took powerful strides to the office at the end of the hall. She ignored the shouts and protests of a receptionist and burst into the office like she owned the place. Grey eyes shot up to glare at her, which she returned with a stare of her own.

“Isabel Han, I take it,” the man in charge commented in a cool voice.

“Cougar Gent, I take it,” she replied almost as if she was amused.

“I am so sorry, Mister Gent! She just barged right in!” the receptionist, an average looking woman in business casual clothing, apologized as she came up behind Isabel.

“It’s quite all right, Nancy. I’ve been expecting this woman,” the man replied and he dismissed his receptionist with a slight wave of her hand. The receptionist quickly made herself scarce, closing the door behind her.

“Well, Isabel, why don’t you have a seat?” the boss, Cougar Gent, suggested while motioning to the chair in front of his expensive pure black desk. The chair was a black leather chair with a short back and Isabel sat down in it as if it was a throne.

The two stared at each other for a moment, sizing the other up. Isabel had never seen Cougar Gent before, even though she heard about him. He kept a low profile, seeming to a bit smarter than some of the other wise guys that she knew. But then again, a low profile was probably what kept him alive for so long and on top of his empire for so long.

Cougar was a cool looking fellow with rich caramel skin. He was dressed in a black business suit with a crimson tie. He had a bald head; the top was naturally hairless while he shaved the sides of his head. His eyes were a sharp grey and they seemed to make the attempt to cut into Isabel, which brought a small smirk to her face.

“So, what’s this business you’d like to discuss with me that’s so secretive you can’t say it over the phone?” Isabel asked curiously.

“You certainly do try to get down to business,” Cougar commented while leaning back in his chair.

“I hate to be some place that’s merely a waste of my time. Prove to me this isn’t a waste.”

“You are quite the fearless one,” he said as if he was surprised about it. In reality, he was told that Isabel had a habit of acting as if she was in charge of everything. He was also warned to be careful because if he did not pay attention, Isabel certainly would be in charge of everything.

“You stating the obvious isn’t telling me why I’m here,” she replied in a smooth tone.

“I want you to work for me,” he informed her.

“Work for you how? That could be a long list of things considering the businesses you run,” she pointed out.

He nodded. “It is very wise of you to ask.”

“Yes, I tend to have a bad habit of doing smart things. Now, could we speed this up? As you already know, I’ve got a daughter that does need and deserve my attention much more than you ever will. Now, what do you want me to do?” Isabel inquired, an edge in her voice now. She was tired of playing around and the game had only just begun.

“I’m running low on enforcers. I’ve been told you’re a woman who can get things done and also keep a secret.”

“I can keep a lot of secrets. What makes you think I want to be an enforcer, though? I’ve got little desire to be a bully,” she informed him. Her fighting skills were not there for her to intimidate innocent people who were not bothering her.

“It’s not being a bully, my dear. These are people that owe me money and you would simply be there in case they decided they didn’t want to pay. You’re more getting back what’s mine than anything else.”

“It’s not really yours if you’re doing the extortion thing. Besides, what is this, the fifties? You’re actually still doing the protection racket? What don’t you call yourself ‘Scarface’ while you’re at it?” she remarked with a scoff.

“You’re quite the disrespectful young woman for someone that claims she doesn’t want to be a bully. So, you’d rather battle tooth and nail in these cage fights while disregarding the rules and betting on yourself to raise more money instead of just taking this job to make more money? I thought you said you had a habit of doing smart thing,” he quipped, throwing a smirk at her now.

“The cage fighting serves a purpose,” she told him, remaining calm despite the insult tossed her way.

“And this job wouldn’t fit that purpose?”

“It depends on how these people that ‘owe’ you money react,” she answered. If people got out of line, it was possible that she would be able to practice fighting on them, but the cage fighting guaranteed that she would be able to get in a good practice. Working for her was about practice first, money second.

“How do you want them to react?” he asked curiously, leaning forward to make sure he did not miss the answer.

“Badly,” she stated honestly. Really, she wanted them to react badly and she wanted them to be able to put up a decent fight after reacting that way.

“It happens more than you’d believe.”

Isabel thought on that for a moment. He could easily be lying to her, she considered, but there was also the possibility that he was telling the truth. Well, she was never one to back away from a possibility; it was one of the reasons that she did not regret anything in her life.

“When would you need me to start this job?” she asked curiously.

“Whenever you want to,” he answered.

Isabel nodded. “Sounds like something I could do. So, how does this work?” she asked. Despite all of her time in the underworld, she had never really worked for anyone before. She was not sure what to expect, but she did not really think too much of it. If it did not pan out, she would just walk away.

She got the details from Cougar before hurrying out of the building. She did want to get to Cassandra, even though her mother had agreed to pick the girl up. Cougar got on the phone and made a call.

“William, she’s agreed. Set everything up. You’ll be meeting with her tomorrow,” Cougar informed his employee. He could tell by William’s voice that he was not in the mood to see Isabel again, but it was a must. Cougar wanted proof that the woman was as good as William claimed from all of the information that he gathered. 

-8-8-8-8-

“Hey, I’m home,” Isabel announced, but got no reply as she entered her apartment.

Isabel kicked off her shoes and marched up the steps. She came in to find her mother training Cassandra. Isabella was holding her hands up and barking out different phrases, which included “left jab,” “right jab,” “high kick,” “combo,” and the one that Isabel used to love when she was a child “go crazy.” “Go crazy” was a command that allowed Cassandra to do as many moves and whatever move came to mind before her grandmother let loose another command; it was the girl’s favorite order too.

Isabel observed the training in silence for almost a minute. “How was she?” she asked, speaking to her mother.

“She was great. Her teacher said she did all her work today and didn’t kill anyone,” Isabella answered.

Isabel nodded; she expected that Cassandra was going to be on her best behavior for the day. Isabel continued to watch the training session after the “small talk” between her and her mother. Cassandra did not even say anything to her mother while she was getting in some good hits onto her grandmother’s palms.

Isabella did not stick around for too long after Isabel showed up. She finished up her training Cassandra and left without a word. Cassandra and Isabel then had a normal night for them.

“Is Grandma gonna get me again tomorrow?” Cassandra asked curiously as she and her mother had dinner. They sat at the kitchen counter, side by side. There was no television or background noise. Just them, their food, and whatever thoughts that they cared to share.

“Why?” Isabel countered.

“Cuz I don’t want her to,” the child answered honestly. She had a great time with her grandmother and everything. She would really love to see her again, but she did not want her grandmother to come pick her up from school again because she was not sure if she could be good again tomorrow. It took way too much effort to not hit her classmates.

“We’ll see,” the street fighter replied.

Cassandra frowned; that was a wishy-washy answer if never she heard one. She supposed it was one of those things that she was just going to have to wait for her. She hoped that her mother came to get her from school.

“Mommy…” Cassandra said.

“Yes, firefly?” Isabel replied.

“Since I was good at school, can I get ice cream after this?” the kindergartner requested. She figured that she better try to milk the one day that she was on her best behavior since it was not likely to happen again.

“We’ll see,” Isabel answered, knowing that Cassandra thought she was getting over because she was good for one day.

Cassandra sighed, not too sure what that answer meant. Isabel did end up giving in and letting the child have what she want, even though the young mother was not very much rewarding Cassandra because she did something that she was supposed to do. After all, she was rarely rewarded for doing something that she was supposed to do when she grew up; then again, that was the reason that influenced her too because she did not want to be just like her mother. 

-*-(Next day)-*-

Isabel stood on a deserted street in front of an electronics store with her arms folded neatly over her stomach. She glanced down at her watch for a second and then looked up the street. She did not see anything. She was ready to walk off when a car pulled up and a familiar looking fellow stepped out.

“Sorry I’m late,” William, the man that first approached Isabel outside of Cassandra’s school, said as he walked over to her.

“Sorry doesn’t cut it. I’ve got other things to do with my time,” Isabel commented.

William frowned. “Well, let’s get to it then.”

Isabel did not argue and they walked inside the store. She noticed that the place was quiet and as she scanned the area without moving much of her head, she noticed that the place was empty. She made a small noise in her throat; something was up.

“So, what exactly are we here for?” Isabel inquired, casting a glance over at William, who was holding back a smile.

“A party,” William answered as a few large men came out from the back. They were holding all sorts of weapons and walking toward Isabel with demented smiles on their faces.

“And here it is I thought it was going to be a boring afternoon,” Isabel deadpanned, arms still folded across her stomach with a bored glaze in her eyes. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Is Isabel about to get killed for disrespecting a mob boss?


	21. Rinse, repeat

Chapter 21: Rinse, repeat

Isabel was in a situation. A rather bad situation by most standards, but considering the calm look on her face, it probably did not reach “bad” by her standards yet. There were half a dozen large men walking toward her with weapons in hand and they did not look like the friendly type. She knew that she had just been setup, but she was still considering why she might have been setup.

She was not surprised when the six men attacked her. She remained calm; the expression on her face was quite unimpressed. The men made the mistake of thinking that her boredom was something else, though.

“Aw, she’s scared stiff,” one commented with a taunting coo at the end. He was holding a long bo in both hands. His stance and grip indicated that he knew a little something about the weapon, but Isabel’s expression did not change because of that observation.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, we’ll be gentle,” another said, laughing as he spoke. He was wielding two long machetes.

“I hope not,” Isabel replied with a smirk as she cracked her knuckles. Her emerald eyes shined just thinking about having a decent workout.

“A cocky bitch, huh?” a third man remarked, holding onto a police baton. He spun the weapon in his hand, showing it off to intimidate. Still, Isabel’s expression did not waver.

“Too much talking,” Isabel stated, holding in a yawn. “I’m starting to think that you’re the ones actually scared of one little cocky bitch,” she remarked, pronouncing each word as if they were some type of weapon.

Those words got the men moving, just like she wanted. The fellow with the bo came in first, swinging for her head, trying to take it right off of her shoulders. She put her arm up to guard and added a little force of her own when the weapon made contact. With that, the bo shattered on impact and she reached out, yanking the intact bit. He barely had time to gasp through it all; _how the hell did she do that?!_

She turned with her new weapon—the broken staff—and smashed the guy with the machetes across the face with it. The sound of the impact was enough to turn stomachs. He fell back, dropping his weapons, while she turned her attention to the man that she just stole the weapon from. He put his hands up, ready to stand his ground.

Isabel smirked and spun the weapon in her hand before putting it to work in a manner that its original owner could barely fathom. He caught her wrath just as badly as his companion, if not worse considering the fact that the weapon splintered across his face. He hit the cement with a heavy thud and unconscious groan, warm blood seeped from cuts on his face and from his mouth, painting the cold cement. She turned her attention to new targets.

She kicked out, leg whipping around with a force hurricane wind would have envied. Her foot crashed against a man’s face like a rogue wave against the shore, but sounding much less soothing. He flew back, falling into one of his comrades while she stepped into a monster punch that broke the jaw of another guy. Bone on bone echoed through the room loud enough to make everyone grimace.

The man with the baton stepped in, thinking that he had in opening. He swung the baton, believing that he would strike her in the head. His face fell in shock as she caught the weapon and then smashed her elbow into his neck. He backed away, gagging in agony, while Isabel did a mental count in her head.

The sound of a click behind her let Isabel know that she was right in assuming that she still had one opponent left. She slowly turned around to see him holding a revolver pistol. Her expression did not change as she watched his hand, not quite steady.

“You’re trembling. That is the wise the thing to do,” Isabel commented with an arrogant smirk on her face. “The next wise move would be to put the gun down.”

“You’re fast, but I doubt you’ll dodge a bullet,” he informed her.

Isabel laughed. “Why don’t you pull the trigger and find out,” she dared him.

He gulped and she just smirked harder while it looked like the fires of Hell danced with delight in her eyes. He thought about matters for a moment too long and that was all of the time that she needed. She charged over to him, grabbing his arm, and twisting it to get him to drop the gun. He winced and howled from the intense agony that shot through his body as soon as she touched him.

“Oh, how boring. I expected more of a struggle than this. I haven’t even broken a sweat,” Isabel lamented while continuing to twist the arm of the man that she had. He hollered and tried to resist her. She rolled her eyes at his attempt to get away, but she did need to quiet him down. She put pressure on his vagus nerve and it did shut him up. He continued twisting and gagged while grimacing and wondering what she had done to him; she had just aggravated his heart.

She turned her attention to the man that brought her there, to the man that had undoubtedly set her up. He was standing off to the side, his sharp brown eyes hidden behind sunglasses. His posture was stiff and straight, as if he was a statue modeling the black suit that he was wearing. He swallowed hard when he noticed her eyes on him, like she was cutting into him with her hard gaze.

“So, was this a test or was this a trap, William?” Isabel inquired, sounding as if neither mattered. She was just going to walk out, after all. But, it would be nice to know if she was going to have to make a few detours before going home.

“Just a little exercise,” William answered as smoothly as he could. 

“I don’t like people toying with me. You wasted my time on bullshit. If this is what I have to look forward to by joining up with Gent, I’ll take my time in the cage,” Isabel commented.

“We just wanted to make sure that your heart was in it,” William informed her.

“My heart?” Isabel scoffed. “Tell Gent, I’ll stay in the cages if this is the challenge he has to offer. I’m not money hungry. I’m not particularly violent. I just happened to have been born three hundred years too late for most people to understand me,” Isabel stated as she finally rid of herself of the man with the gun, flinging him away as if he offended her greatly. He landed amongst his injured comrades.

“What is it you want then?” William asked, holding in his curiosity and covering up his confusion by sounding irritated.

Isabel’s eyes and body did not betray anything in her mind. What did she want? No one would understand, no one would be able to hand it to her either. But, if they could possibly put her one step closer to that goal, she had to follow that path.

“Tell Gent that I will do this, but if it becomes a joke, a lot of people are going to regret it because I don’t need my time wasted,” Isabel said in an almost cold tone.

William was not sure how to respond. Isabel did not wait around for an answer. She marched out as if she was in charge of the world, disappointed that she bothered to show up for something so worthless. How was she supposed to get stronger if she was fighting with people that could not even lay a hand on her?

William breathed a sigh of relief as Isabel left. It was like the air became cleaner and lighter in her absence. He turned his attention to the men that she so easily dispatched.

“Pathetic!” he hollered at all of them.

“She wasn’t human…” one of them muttered in a quivering voice.

William silently agreed with that assessment. “I don’t think this is a good idea,” he muttered to himself, not that he was going to tell his boss that. There just was something about Isabel that not only screamed “loose cannon,” but also there seemed to be a big flashing red sign over her head that read “danger.” 

-8-8-8-8-

“So, how’d the ‘job interview’ go?” Isabella asked as her eldest entered the house. She was babysitting both of her granddaughters, who were fighting in the middle of the living room. She glanced at them to make sure Alex was not blue in the face and saw that Alex was actually biting Cassandra on the arm.

“I would suppose that I got the job. The question now is: do I want it?” Isabel wondered aloud. Doing such work would only slow her down, she was certain of that. She needed true challenges. She needed to get stronger or else she would never be able to fulfill her destiny. She would not be able to live with that.

“Well, you do have a child to support,” Isabella pointed out.

“I will see to my bug living comfortably no matter what. You know it isn’t about that.”

Isabella merely shrugged, not bothering to argue. It was her daughter’s path to walk now. Secretly, she hoped that Isabel was making the right decision because she knew why Isabel even entertained the idea. She actually hoped that it paid off, which surprised her.

“I feel this way now, but will I feel the same four years from now?” Isabella wondered. Of course, her question would not be answered for some years now.

Isabel stuck around for a while, watching her daughter and her niece go at it. She vaguely remembered being the same way with Kat when they were younger, but she doubted that she was quite as serious as Cassandra was. Cassandra seemed to have a genuine dislike for her younger cousin, but no one really said anything about it.

Cassandra was now elbowing Alexandra in the stomach. The younger girl was taking it, as expected, and tried to counter with a kick, but missed. Cassandra came in with other blows; the two adults never bothered to break up the fight.

“Okay, this could go on forever and I have training of my own to do. Bug, I can leave you here if you like,” Isabel proposed, which caught her daughter’s attention.

“Like hell! Not gonna stay here with this idiot!” Cassandra declared while making sure to get one last good hit in before running to her mother.

“Bye, Cassie!” Alex said with a joyous grin. It did not seem to cross the girl’s mind that her cousin did not like her, even though Cassandra had just spent the past three hours beating her up. Isabella sometimes told Cassandra that she certainly paid a lot of attention to Alex while claiming to dislike her and believing that she was an idiot.

“Idiot,” Cassandra hissed as she left the house.

“Firefly, you should be a little nicer to your cousin,” Isabel somewhat scolded her daughter. It bothered her a bit that Cassandra thought so poorly of Alexandra, but the younger girl genuinely liked her big cousin. Now, she did not expect them to be the best of friends, but she would like for Alex to hold onto that like of Cassandra through out their lives and she doubted that would happen if Cassandra continued to bully the younger girl.

“Nope. She’s an idiot,” Cassandra replied.

“Now, why do you say that?”

“Cuz she is! She does stupid stuff!”

“Like?” Isabel prodded. She did wonder what rubbed her daughter the wrong way about Alex. She thought her niece was adorable, after all. But then again, Kat thought Cassandra was adorable, so it could have just been that they were conditioned to like children.

“Like when she talks or when she fights. She always does something stupid. She’s always copying me too,” Cassandra complained.

Isabel nodded. She supposed those were things that both girls would grow out of as they matured. Well, hoped that they would grow out of it. Only time would tell, though. 

-8-8-8-8-

“So, Isabel, I see you are back, so that must mean that you’re willing to give this job a try,” Cougar Gent commented as Isabel sat down in one of the seats in front of his desk. He sounded smooth and confident, but he was not quite sure if she would come back after William reported on her attitude during the little “test” that he had set up for her.

“I’m willing to give you one more chance to impress me rather than think it’s the other way around,” Isabel retorted. She was not some monkey to be tested and she figured that she would try one more time to see if a job as an enforcer would help her training. She knew that she needed something more than just those cage fights and she hoped that the enforcer job was it.

Gent laughed. “You really do think highly of yourself. Everyone keeps telling me that.”

“It’s not that I think highly of myself,” she commented. She knew what she was capable. She was not sure why people doubted her.

Gent was quiet for a moment, eyeing the woman before him. William had already expressed some worry over her. He could somewhat feel a vibe from her too that probably would have worried a less powerful man. There was something about Isabel that cautioned him to think carefully before he allowed her into his organization.

“All right. Go see William now. We have something worked out,” Gent informed her.

Isabel shrugged and took her leave, knowing that William was down in the lobby. He did not look too pleased to see her, frowning a bit. His eyes were hidden by what she was starting to assume were his favorite pair of glasses.

She did not say anything nor did he and they both exited the building. The ride to their destination was silent and somewhat tense; the tension coming from his end. She busied herself by staring out of the window. She only turned to look at him when they pulled up to a plain looking store; a dry cleaning business.

“Keep your guard up around these guys,” William told Isabel as he got out of the car.

Isabel did not reply, simply following him out of the car and into the establishment. She looked around the place, which looked like a normal, everyday dry cleaners. And then a smell scratched at her nose.

“Oh…” she muttered to herself.

“Come on,” William said to Isabel as he started to make his way to the back of the place. She followed again without word.

“Hey, you can’t go back there!” a pair of workers called as they charged after William and Isabel. William turned and glared at the two brave souls. The workers did not appear fazed by his glare.

“We’ve got business with your boss,” William stated.

“He didn’t mention any appointments and you can’t go back there no matter what,” the young male clerk stated. He was probably barely out of his teens from the looks of him, but the way he carried himself was intriguing. Isabel craned an eyebrow to the way that he stood.

“So, you’re going to stop us?” Isabel asked curiously.

“We’ll throw you out if you don’t walk out on your own. And trust me, if we throw you out, you won’t be walking anywhere else,” he replied. He showed no fear, and it did not seem to be out of youthful ignorance.

Isabel almost laughed, but the sound never made it to her throat. A smile did sneak onto her face. “Those are mighty strong words.”

“Indeed,” William concurred, reaching into his jacket. Isabel held up a hand to stop him.

“I’ll handle these two. I doubt you want to attract any attention with such a loud device. I can keep them from screaming, after all,” Isabel commented, smirking.

“Then I’ll leave them to you.”

Isabel nodded and turned to face the two youngsters. “I’ll be fair to you. I’ll give you a chance to return to your posts or face my wrath.”

“This is our posts,” the young man replied while his silent partner, a demur looking young lady, nodded.

“I guess I’ll just have to spank you two then,” Isabel quipped.

The pair put their hands up immediately, taking serious fighting stances. Isabel could not help smiling at their reaction. She put her hands up also and they circled each other for a moment. Isabel hoped that they were as good as they looked. She thought that their stances were almost perfect and she could see that the way that they were setting themselves up was to take advantage of the fact that there were two of them.

The duo came at Isabel from opposite sides. They found the slightly older woman to be faster than they assumed and she dodged their simultaneous attack, causing them to almost punch each other. They turned quickly as they realized that their prey was gone, but she was already on the offensive.

Isabel’s fist collided with the girl’s stomach, causing her to fall back. The attacking woman quickly turned to the young man and planted her knuckles on his jaw first. She then went into a punch combination to his face until his partner coming up behind Isabel, kicking her in the back, saved him.

“You kids certainly do have some bite to you,” Isabel commented with a smirk. It would seem that she was right to come along for the ride with William, she figured. 

-8-8-8-8-

William frowned as he made his way deeper into the business. He did not like being there. He especially did not like being there alone. He did not know what his boss was thinking with messing these crazy people again. He came to a door and made his way downstairs, knowing that the man he needed to speak with was down there.

“Where do you think you’re going?” a deep voice demanded to know as William hit the landing.

“I’m here to see your boss. I work for Cougar Gent,” William said while turning to his left to face the owner of the voice. He found himself face to chest with a gorilla of a man.

“We don’t want any Gent slime around here,” the giant proclaimed with a guttural growl.

“I would watch my tongue if I were you,” William warned the giant with a frown of his own.

“I wouldn’t be such a smartass if I were you. After all, you’re the one out of your element. Now, why don’t you go take your sorry ass out the way you came before I toss you out on your ass? Well, it’ll be your ass if I’m in a good mood.”

William was tempted to say something else, but he really could not push his luck. Even if he made it passed the one giant before him, he knew that there were other monsters wandering the dark, humid basement. He had left Isabel upstairs with two demons, so he doubted that he would be able to come out unscathed if something went wrong downstairs while he was by himself.

“I could have your ass buried in a hole, which would actually be this place. Now, take me to your boss,” William commanded.

The giant growled and reached out. William tried to go into his jacket, but the giant was surprisingly fast. William’s wrist was grabbed by a crushing grip and the other large hand was around his neck. William was only able to gasp in disbelief.

“I think someone else here might end up in a hole,” the giant commented.

“If the person you’re thinking of is seven feet tall, you’re right,” Isabel quipped as she came down the stairs with a calm expression on her face. She was bleeding from her eyebrow, but did not appear to care since her face looked the same as always. _Oh, those two kids were fun._

“You brought a lone woman with you?” the giant asked William in disbelief. He took a moment to laugh and give William a scolding look.

William could not even respond because he was too busy gawking at Isabel. _She actually survived those two demon children upstairs?_ He could not believe it, especially since he had heard tales of those two and he had seen some of the worse carnage brought on by them. _Maybe the boss isn’t crazy to want to deal with these monsters now_ , he thought.

“This lone woman might have to teach you some manners,” Isabel said, hoping that he was just as much fun as her two playmates from upstairs. “Now, I would suggest you put my colleague down or this might get messy for you.”

The giant called her bluff and began squeezing William’s throat. Isabel watched for a moment, her coworker turning red in the face. She sighed and shook her head, even though a devilish smirk was back on her face. She hoped that everyday at the office would be like today.

William was not totally sure what happened when he felt the giant finally letting him go. His eyes focused as he watched the large man slowly back up, moving away from the firm leg that just snapped against his ribs. His hand went to the injured area while his legs gave out and he dropped the far distance to his knees.

“Shall I continue?” Isabel inquired, but the giant was not even able to talk. She then turned her attention to William. “Let’s proceed.”

William only nodded, not able to trust his voice at the moment. Isabel silently followed behind William and saw what she suspected when she was upstairs; they were in a drug lab. She made a mental note to burn the clothing that she was wearing. She never took any chances when it came to certain things and she did not want to risk having attire that was contaminated with drug residue.

Making it to the back of the basement was no easy task; well, it would not have been if Isabel was not there anyway. Guards came from all sides with every step that they took. Isabel found herself slightly challenged by that, causing a smile to tug at her lips as they came to the end of their line. It was a very good day.

At the back of the basement, they reached a door. William tried the knob, only to find it locked. Isabel brushed him aside to use her “lock-pick.” She almost kicked the door across the room, forgetting to tone things down a bit since a door was not a giant martial artist like the guards that she had just been facing.

“Knock-knock,” Isabel said as she and William entered the room.

The occupants of the room turned their attention to the pair; before that, their attention had been on the ruined door that almost collided with them. There were three people in the room; two women that seemed to be attached to one gentleman wearing nothing more than a cowboy hat, a smile, and a cigarette. Isabel was pretty sure that she had just been scarred for life.

“Would it trouble you terribly to put some pants on?” Isabel requested/demanded, doing her best to keep her eyes focused on his face. Not that the pants would help because she would still have to see his engorged, beer belly. Ah, it even had stretch marks and sweat was traveling down the rolls. She would love to somehow get amnesia for the past five minutes.

“Would it trouble you terribly to join in?” he countered with a smug tone and a lecherous glint in his eyes.

William flinched, instinctively knowing that was the wrong thing to say to Isabel. The pale woman marched deeper into the room, making a beeline for the fat man. She did not get a direct assault as his two women shot up at her. She faced off with them just like she would anyone else.

Isabel was not surprised at the women’s skills; everyone that she faced off in the place was a good fighter. She blocked their attack and countered with as much force as she could, knocking them far across the room. She noticed that the fat man was reaching for something, so she rushed him. She managed to step on his neck; he was sitting on a beanbag chair, so he was very low to the ground. She pressed him into the chair while he drew a gun on her.

“You don’t want to know how quickly I can actually snap your neck in this position,” Isabel promised him.

“Since when does Gent have someone more than a brute working for him?” the man choked out.

“Since now, although I would like to commend you for your choice in personnel,” Isabel remarked before adding more pressure to let him know that she was serious about being able to break his neck with her foot.

“Well, Draco, I would say that you’re in a position to start paying homage to Gent now,” William remarked with a smug smile on his face.

“Not if I shoot this bitch. Then you’re at my mercy,” the fat man, Draco, countered, pointing his weapon at Isabel.

Isabel did not flinch or even glance at the weapon that was being trained on her. She actually looked bored. Draco hesitated because of her nonchalance, which was all the time that she needed. She grabbed at the gun and wrenched it from him with little problem. She then aimed the gun at him while keeping her foot on his throat.

“You don’t really have to worry about me shooting you,” Isabel informed him. “It’s the foot on your neck that you really need to continue worrying about.” Shooting was way too messy.

“So, are you ready to start paying the boss for operating in his territory or do you want to try your luck?” William asked.

“You think one monster woman could make me suddenly change my mind?”

“No, but I think one bullet in your head might help,” William replied, stepping closer with his gun in hand.

“Oh, and I was so hoping to break his neck,” Isabel remarked with a straight face. She really had little interest in killing the man under her heel. He had not really done anything to her, after all.

“So, what’s say we talk about this for once, Draco. Unless of course you’d like a first hand crash course as to what she did to your goon squad.” William nodded toward Isabel.

“It gets pretty nauseating halfway through. I got bored,” Isabel commented with a demonic smirk. For every good fighter out there, there were five horrible ones that immediately went for their guns. They almost ruined her good day, and it was not because they nearly killed her.

Instead of Draco having to find out the gruesome details of what happened to most of his guards, he wisely decided to talk things over with William, with Isabel standing on his neck the whole time. Isabel and William quietly left the basement when their business was concluded. On the way out, Isabel was ambushed by the two clerks and not in the way that William expected when they seemed to appear out of nowhere.

“Will you come back and fight us again?” the young man begged, his hands clasped together in desperation. His silent partner mimicked his pose and nodded furiously with his words. They both looked a hot mess, but they were also aware that they could have come out looking much worse.

“Looking to improve, hmm?” Isabel inquired.

“Always!” the young man declared. The young woman nodded, agreeing with him.

“I’ll see what I can do. You two were quite the challenge,” she replied honestly. Fighting with them might prove to be useful to all three of them and she could not back down from that.

“We’ll be even better next time,” he vowed and his partner nodded again.

“We’ll see. I should be by soon enough,” she replied.

The duo grinned at that while Isabel left with William. William looked at her, but wisely did not say anything. Isabel was silent too. It was a good day, she decided. Working for Gent seemed like it might be the way to help her to her destiny. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Isabel gets Ellie and Kat in on the action.


	22. Back

Chapter 22: Back

Isabel straightened out her shirt as her last victim/opponent hit the floor. She glanced around the dimly lit back alley for a moment and then her eyes fell on William. She guessed most people would consider him her partner since she started working for Cougar Gent, but she had the distinct feeling that he was more her watcher than anything else. Neither of them made enough effort to get along to really be called partners anyway.

“Are you done?” William inquired almost as if he was bored. He doubted that anyone could ever be truly bored watching Isabel do what she did best, hurt people enough to break their wills and have them submit to her. She was not even a force of nature; he was not sure what to label her. Much of the time, he thought it would be safer to shoot her than try to tame her. Who the hell could tame a full-grown lioness that had tasted human blood, after all?

“They appear to be finished, so I would guess so. What about you?” Isabel countered. After all, she was really just the muscle of their duo. Gent did not seem to trust her enough to take care of any real business, which she supposed was a wise move. She was not there to be his tax collector.

“They paid in full. You’re done for the night,” William dismissed her as he started toward his car.

Isabel shrugged and headed off in the opposite direction. She did not make it far before William called out to her. She turned around to see him walking back toward her.

“I’m supposed to give you this,” William stated while reaching into his pocket. He noted that Isabel did not tense as most would if he reached into his pocket without explaining himself. He wondered if she seriously thought that she was bulletproof.

Isabel’s eyes fell lazily to William’s hand as he pulled out a cell phone. He handed it over to her. She glanced down at it as if just holding the thing bored her.

“It’s for us to get in touch with you or if you need to get in touch with us,” William informed her.

“A way to bug me on a somewhat secure line,” she retorted with a scoff. Apparently, she was now in; she was part of their little family. For the moment, she did not mind.

“That phone is for business. Don’t use it for personal calls,” he ordered her as if she was a small child.

“Oh, so you mean I shouldn’t call your wife and cancel our date?” Isabel callously teased since he seemed to think that she was an idiot who could not figure out what the phone was for.

“Dyke,” William huffed. He honestly believed that she was just that too. It was rumor going around their organization that Isabel was gay and she guessed it was because they could not handle knowing a woman was as powerful as she was. Of course, she did not give a damn, but she did use it to taunt her “coworkers.”

Isabel flipped him off and continued on her way. She put the phone in her pocket. Something told her that she was going to wish that she never accepted the phone. She was right. 

-8-8-8-8-

Isabel and Cassandra were training, going through a number of different moves out on their balcony. A phone started ringing, causing them both to sigh in annoyance; they sported similar frowns. Isabel turned to see which phone was ringing.

“Them again?” Isabel sucked her teeth as she flipped open her business phone. “Isabel,” she answered coldly.

“I need you down on Rockfort Ave right now,” William informed her.

“What the hell are you doing down there?” she wondered aloud.

“That’s not the point. Come now,” he ordered.

“Fine.” Isabel closed the phone. “Bug, I’m going to have to take you to Grandma’s house, okay?”

“But, what about practice?” Cassandra seriously whined. Her eyes grew wide and tearful, as if she was going to cry, which they both knew was not the case. She had been looking forward to training all day!

“I have work to do.”

“You always have work!” Cassandra complained. Lately, her mother had been working a lot more often, she noted. She was not sure what her mother did anymore because she knew that cage fighting never happened so frequently. Whatever her mother’s job was now, she hated it and that showed from the tight frown on her face, the glare in her eyes, and the fire pouring out of her eye pour.

Isabel scowled, taking in how grown her child seemed, but also seeing how childish Cassandra was being. “Firefly, now is not the time.”

Isabel grabbed Cassandra and was not surprised to find a car downstairs waiting for her; Gent was well aware that Isabel could not drive. Cassandra was dropped off at Isabella house after some protesting from the driver, but he wisely did not put up much of a fight. Isabel was then taken to Rockfort Avenue where work began.

Isabel thought about her daughter’s words and silently admitted that she had been working a lot lately, especially since she got that accursed cell phone. She was not too set to complain because the work that she had been getting was much better than her going to a cage fight. It was just getting annoying to rush out of the house every other day, having to drop Cassandra off at her mother’s house, usually without calling first, and then having to go pick Cassandra up later, which meant having her mother curse her out for ten minutes for just leaving Cassandra without asking.

“Isabel, you better not pull this shit anymore,” Isabella stated soundly as the mob-connected fighter came to pick up her child.

“Mommy, what else am I supposed to do?” Isabel inquired. It was not like Cassandra was old enough to watch herself for an undetermined out of time yet.

“Figure something out because this shit isn’t cute. You don’t just show up at someone’s house unannounced like this and you know that. And what the hell are you going to do if I’m not here one day? Did you ever think about that shit?” Isabella countered.

Isabel did not respond. It honestly had never crossed her mind that her mother might not be home when she needed her. But, now that her mother mentioned, she was actually surprised that her mother had been home all of those other times that she brought Cassandra over at the spur-of-the-moment. Her mother was typically a busy woman, having all sorts of things always going on in her life.

“Next time, I suggest you try a babysitter or getting her father to help out,” Isabella commented, which got Cassandra’s attention.

“Oh, hell no!” Cassandra objected to the suggestion of her father watching her. She thankfully had not seen the man in a couple of weeks and hoped that streak continued.

Isabel only nodded. It also had not really occurred to her to get Jason to watch Cassandra either. She and Jason were on odd terms at the moment as she was still very much upset with his attitude toward their daughter’s education. She was shocked at how long she could hold a grudge.

Isabel took her mother’s words to heart and considered them the next time that she got a call. She also took into consideration that she was in the middle of a lesson with Cassandra. She answered the call while correcting Cassandra’s posture.

“Isabel,” she stated bluntly, as if her name had power of its own to knock people unconscious.

“I need you at Winchester Mall in the parking garage,” William said.

“I think I’ll send in a substitute,” Isabel remarked.

“What?”

“Trust me. You’ll know her when you see her. She’ll be there in faster than I can too,” Isabel replied. She hung up before he had a chance to object and then she picked up her regular phone. While waiting for an answer, she turned her attention back to her daughter. “Kick higher than that, firefly,” she ordered.

Cassandra obeyed while silently cheering on the inside. Her mother was going to stay with her and teach her moves instead of running off to work. 

-8-8-8-8-

William looked around with a tense expression on his face; his jaw was tight and his eyes were focused, even though they were hidden behind his dark glasses. He could not believe that Isabel was not picking up her phone. He had to go deal with heavy-hitters and she was talking about sending in a “substitute.”

“This isn’t fucking high school,” he grumbled to himself. He ground his teeth together while thinking about how he could make Isabel pay for her attitude.

He was so busy being upset with Isabel that he did not realize someone was coming up behind him until it was too late. By the time he reached in his jacket, a hand was already holding his wrist and twisting it. He growled from the pain, but noted that it was nothing too intense.

“You William?” a female voice inquired.

“Who wants to know?” he countered while turning around to see who was holding him. He was surprised that the person allowed him to turn around. He was staring at brunette woman with thin, sharp features.

“I’m Ellie. Isabel’s substitute,” the woman commented with a confident smirk that let him know she knew Isabel rather well. They had that same haughty glint in their eyes and all-powerful smile.

“Ellie?” he echoed as if he could not believe that was really her name. He did assume that it was a false name because it just did not sound dangerous enough for someone that Isabel trusted to pinch-hit for her.

“I hear you have a rat problem or something of the like. Show me the way,” Ellie requested in a dead serious tone.

William could feel the same vibe from Ellie that he got from Isabel. He did not argue and showed her what they would be doing for the afternoon. He also made sure to keep his hand close to his gun; she reminded him of Isabel a little too much. 

-8-8-8-8-

“Iz, I love your job!” Ellie declared with a grin as she flopped down on her friend’s sofa. Cassandra was sitting there, reading a book on techniques, which did not surprise Ellie. The child was surprised for a moment, though, because she was damn sure that she never heard her Aunt Ellie sound so excited.

“I knew you’d like it. Isn’t it way better than the random fights we get in the cages?” Isabel said.

“It is if you get to fight like that every time that they call you.”

“It is pretty much like that all of the time now. I don’t know where they find these guys or where they’ve been hiding, but we’ve obviously been moving in the wrong circles for too long,” the raven-haired fighter remarked.

“Yeah. If you ever need someone to spot you again, please, feel free to call me. I mean, if this is the practice you’ve been getting lately, then goddamn, I might be in trouble in the next Han tournament.” For someone that might be in trouble, Ellie was smiling petty big.

Isabel nodded. “I’ll see about hooking you up. I mean, it’s not like it wouldn’t be a smart move to have more of us on staff.”

Ellie nodded to that. She could use a job like that; she really never imagined there were fights like the one she had tonight just waiting for her in the underworld. She was certain that she would improve a great deal if she got to have such battles more often.

“I can’t believe you didn’t say anything sooner,” Ellie complained.

“It slipped my mind because I was having so much fun once it got started. I don’t see how Gent was able to do business without me considering the way that people talk to William all the time,” Isabel remarked, but she was being honest. She generally went along with William for his very tough assignments and noticed that he was always being disrespected. She could only wonder why no one killed him yet, except maybe that it was just more entertaining to make fun of him.

Ellie cast her friend a skeptical look, but did not comment on Isabel’s rare forgetfulness. “I guess you better include Kat in this if you are going to tell him about me. Unless, of course, you want to hear her whining,” she pointed out with a bit of a laugh.

Isabel agreed. She found that she was going to get a chance to tell Gent about her sister and play-sister sooner than she thought. Right after Ellie left the apartment, Isabel’s “business” phone rang.

“Isabel,” she answered.

“Gent wants to see you now,” William informed her, almost as if she was in trouble, she noted.

“Well, he’ll have to wait. I’m still occupied,” Isabel replied while casting her daughter a look.

“You don’t keep the boss waiting.”

She had to roll her eyes at that. “I do if he wants me when I’m otherwise occupied. If he wants to fight about something so petty he knows where to find me.”

He growled in anger and frustration. “Well then, your blooming highness, when will it be convenient for you to come in?” he asked with sarcasm oozing off of his words like thick slime.

“I’ll call him and let him know.” Isabel hung up on that note.

She did not keep Gent waiting long, though. She was not really looking to get fired, after all; she was getting in some good practice thanks to the job. Other things, she did not even consider. 

-*-(New day)-*-

“Isabel, I’m shocked you made it in considering your attitude the past few days,” Gent commented as the aforementioned woman marched into his office as if she owned the place. He made sure to keep his cool around Isabel, even though he was not pleased with her attitude anymore than William was.

“I’m a mother before anything else, Gent. I thought you would have figured that out by now,” Isabel replied as she took a seat in front of his desk.

“Oh, you were spending time with your daughter. How is she?” he inquired as if he was truly interested.

Isabel leaned back in her chair, eyes locked on his. “She is how she is,” she replied smoothly.

Gent nodded; he had come to expect Isabel being tightlipped about her offspring. He did not know why she refused to say anything. He already had gone out and gotten information on the child and they both knew that. He was a bit reluctant to bring Cassandra up, though; something about the way Isabel looked at him when he dared to even ask how she was tended to stop all words in his throat about the girl.

“Isabel, you know that if you want to be paid you really should show up when William calls you,” Gent started his reprimand, but she did not bother to let him finish.

“I was busy. I sent a trusted substitute who took care of the job almost as well as I would have. If you would have rather that I left him there on his own, please, tell me now and next time I won’t even bother to answer my phone,” Isabel replied in her usual tone.

Gent knew from her voice that he was not going to get anywhere in the conversation now. She was a stubborn one, he noted. It was time to switch gears.

“William told me about the substitute that you sent in,” Gent commented casually.

“Yes, she would like to offer her services full-time, if you were wondering. She thoroughly enjoyed the experience the other day. I also would like to submit a recommendation for another fighter that would do you well,” Isabel stated, speaking in such a business-like manner that it was almost shocking.

“You’re suddenly in the recruiting business?” he remarked, an amused smile tugging at his thin lips. 

“Far from it. I just know you’re shorthanded, which is one of the reasons why my phone won’t stop ringing. So, instead of overworking me, I suggest two people that I know are almost as capable as I am.”

“Of similar temperament too, I’m sure.” He was not looking forward to having more of her attitude around, but she did serve a purpose and he was sure that the two people she had in mind would help. He would just have to break all three of them, he figured.

“A small price to pay if you wish to keep your empire, right?”

Gent paused; Isabel had a point. “Who are these two people you would like to recommend?”

“Ellie was my substitute and then there is my sister,” Isabel informed him.

“Sister?” He did not show it outwardly, but he dreaded the idea of Isabel having a sister.

The enforcer nodded slightly. “Ah, yes, shocking I know to think there might be more than one of me in the world. But, this is what you have to work with.” Isabel sat up a little straight. “You could let them slide by. Ellie will probably end up working for someone else since she had such a fun time filling in for me. I will let you know right now, if I had to face off against Ellie for you, I would walk away, every time,” she replied honestly. After all, she never needed an excuse to fight Ellie in the past and she would not start with one being that they were on opposing sides in the mob.

Gent was silent for a moment again. He made sure to keep his face straight, not betraying any of his thoughts. He did not take his eyes off of her and she did not take her eyes off of him, as if she was reading his thoughts. Sometimes, he thought that she might be trying, but he was certain that she never knew what was going on in his mind.

“I’ll let you take them out a few times with William and we can work from there,” he replied casually.

Isabel nodded; once again, her “boss” had made the wise decision. She had to give it to the man, he feared the right woman. She thought it was a bit funny that he would accept two more women into his fold that he could guess were similar to her. It was like inviting two more wild lions into his den. 

-*-(New day)-*-

“Woo-hoo! That shit was fun!” Kat cheered while gripping her big sister around the shoulders as if she was trying to pull the taller warrior over. Isabel resisted, really not wanting to get caught up in her sister’s good cheer. It did not keep the blonde from pulling on her, though.

“I think Kat took all the good ones,” Ellie complained while cracking her knuckles. A small frown was on her face.

“At least you got to hit somebody,” Isabel grumbled with her arms folded across her chest. “And, Kat, get your hyperactive ass off of me!” she ordered, glaring at her little sister.

Kat only grinned, apparently very happy about being stuck in a grimly, poorly lit warehouse that seemed like motor oil and garbage. Her older sister and their dear friend frowned similar expressions while paying no attention to the unconscious bodies lying at their feet, bowing to them in painful submission.

“I can’t believe so many of them fainted,” Isabel said, unable to keep the disgust out of her voice. Many of the bodies littering the floor had not even been touched.

“Not just fainted, but gasped ‘Isabel’ and then passed out,” Ellie added, shaking her head. She almost wanted to laugh at the sheer absurdity of it all.

“You’ve been in this game for a while, huh, sis?” Kat inquired, smiling from how impressed she was with her big sister’s reputation just as much from her own fun.

“Not too long. A few months,” Isabel answered with a shrug.

“A few months and we just now heard about it a week ago!” Ellie huffed while turning to glare at her best friend.

“You mean you’ve been keeping all of this goodness to yourself for so long!” Kat was now attached to her sister’s neck and seemed to be trying to drag her down to the floor, but it was not quite working out.

“It honestly never crossed my mind get you two into this,” Isabel replied calmly. Her sister was one move away from getting kicked in the knee if she was going to keep being a pest.

“What the fuck?!” Kat let go to glare at Isabel and push the taller woman slightly. “It never crossed your mind that we might wanna fight with motherfuckers that know what they’re doing and can put up a fight more often than not?” Kat asked incredulously.

“Unless, of course, some bastard mentions her name and then they all faint,” Ellie added in a grumble, shaking her head.

“You three are quite loud,” William commented as he approached the trio from a darkened corner of the warehouse.

“Fuck you,” Kat said, which got an immediate frown out of the man.

“She’s catching on quickly,” Isabel remarked, speaking to William.

“Don’t think you’re in just because she recommended you,” William said, pointing his finger in Kat’s face.

“I don’t think that’s a smart move on your part,” Ellie commented, speaking to the male among them.

“The last person to put his finger in my face got said finger broken,” Kat informed him with a smile.

“And you don’t even want to know where she put the finger after that,” Isabel chimed in, speaking dryly as if the subject actually bored her.

William decided against pressing his luck after seeing Kat in action. Besides, he doubted that she was slouch considering the fact that Isabel recommended her for the job. He was willing to bet that she was as crazy as the pale woman that he was partnered with. He hoped that he was not going to have to break them in for too much longer. He wanted away from the lionesses since he was not allowed to put a bullet in any of them.

“So, are we done?” Isabel inquired, holding back a yawn.

“We’ve got one more round to make and then you’re free to do whatever the hell it is you do in your free time,” William replied.

“Do I even need to be here? If we run into anymore people that faint before I can even touch them, I’m going to be quite pissed,” the tall woman stated sincerely while walking off. The others followed her, knowing that she was going back to the car.

“You’re here as long as the boss wants you here. What, you want to go back to your precious baby?” William teased; obviously forgetting whom it was that he was speaking with.

Isabel turned around and glared at William. He stopped walking—and breathing—for a couple of seconds. The glint in her jade eyes warned him to never bring up her daughter again, no matter what the occasion. He gulped and then continued on. It was unclear if he got the message.

The group made it to the car without an incident, even though Kat seemed to be trying to start something by bring up how William “got punked.” William was mature enough to let it go; mostly because he knew that it would be stupid to try to go against Isabel.

They went onto their next destination and they arrived there quite rapidly. Ellie and Isabel were thankful that things did not repeat themselves there. No one fainted at the mere mentioned of Isabel’s name and they were able to get some decent hits in.

The thing that set their new job apart from cage fighting actually was not the quality of the fighters. Yes, they came across some exceptional warriors, but most of the time it was just the amount of people that came at them that they liked. They got a chance to practice on more than one person with more than one person coming at them. That alone made the job worthwhile, but the money was not bad either. 

-8-8-8-8-

“So, what am I dealing with three wise guys now?” Isabella remarked as her daughters came into her house. They entered to the sight of their daughters beating each other up, which was so normal that it barely registered to their minds.

“I guess,” Kat shrugged as if she did not care. Isabel and Ellie did not even bother to respond; they did not look at themselves as “wise guys” in the traditional sense.

“So, you’ve got a steady job now, Kat. I guess you’ll be moving out sometime soon,” Isabella commented, sounding quite bored. There was a strange twitch in her eyebrow, though.

Kat scoffed. “Yeah, right. You’d be lonely without me and my kitten anyway. Don’t try to deny it.”

“Please, I’m going to convert your room into a gym the moment you leave the house for more than an hour,” Isabella replied.

Kat let loose a mock laugh, humoring her mother more than anything else. The trio then went into telling Isabella about their newly formed connections to the Gent mob family. Well, she already knew Isabel’s take on the matter and found out that Kat and Ellie were doing just about the same thing. She could only imagine the appeal of working for a crime organization.

“You’re going down next reunion, old lady!” Kat declared, which sort of let her mother know just why they had taken the jobs.

“You said that the last time when you started your street fighting and again when you started with the cage fights. When you’re done being an apprentice enforcer, come see me,” Isabella dared her youngest.

The sound of snickering turned attention from Kat, who they were waiting for her comeback, to Cassandra. The child was laughing at her aunt and pushing her cousin’s face into the carpet. Alex was swinging wildly, trying to hit her older cousin with all of her might.

“Hey, hey, hey, you don’t laugh at me. You’re not even a full fledge warrior yet, Cassie Gooding,” Kat teased.

Cassandra snarled and actually let her cousin go in order to attack her aunt. Isabel had to hide her face in her hands in embarrassment while Ellie laughed her ass off watching Kat hold Cassandra at bay with one hand against the child’s forehead. Isabella just stared with a neutral expression.

“I imagine this what you do for work now,” Isabella remarked, speaking to her daughters and Ellie.

“Something like this actually,” Ellie concurred while motioning to Kat and Cassandra.

“And you honestly think this will help? I swear, you three will be watching my back for the rest of your lives,” Isabella commented as she decided to take her leave. She thought that they were wasting their time, but it was their paths to walk. She would let them follow it.

The trio decided to walk the paths that they were on for the moment as Cougar Gent’s enforcers. They believed that it would help, especially when they were finally split up and did not have to share opponents. They were certain that it would help and they would not have to look at the back that their eyes were watching for much longer. 

-*-(New day)-*- 

Isabel groaned as that accursed cell phone rang. “What?” she snarled as she answered it. Hard to believe this was a woman that liked her job.

“Come in,” William ordered her.

“Fuck that. Whatever you want me for, get Ellie to do that shit,” Isabel replied in an annoyed tone. She was doing some stretches, getting ready to do some training. She had only just got in from walking Cassandra to school and she needed to do her warm-up or she would be cranky for the whole day.

“The boss wants you to come in right now.”

“And why the fuck can’t Ellie do it?”

“Because he asked for your ass specifically. If you can’t be a team player, then why did you even bother to take this job?”

“Because I can do what I fucking want. I’ll be down there in a little while.”

“The car is downstairs waiting for you,” he informed her in a gruff tone.

Isabel went to change her clothes, but decided against it. Her workout clothing was clean and she would rather not have to come back in to change once more. So, she went downstairs and saw the car that was waiting for her. With that, she was off and at Gent’s building in less than a half-hour.

She entered the building and was not harassed by the two security guards at the front who now knew her all too well. It was the eyes of men that she did not know and who did not know her that caught her attention. There were a couple of men in the lobby that she did not know that followed her ass very closely with their eyes as she went to the elevator.

“You really don’t want to do that,” the security guard tried to warn one of the strangers; well, he was stranger as far as Isabel was concerned.

“Yeah, she will literally snatch your eyes out and hand them to you,” the other guard concurred.

Isabel did not stick around to hear much more of that conversation, but she did make a note to prove the guards right if the strangers wished to ogle her on the way out. It was not like she was even trying to look sexy; she was wearing workout clothing for crying out loud. Her workout clothing for that day consisted of a white, sleeveless compression shirt and straight-legged sweatpants. She had not gotten the chance to tie her hair back, so much of her body was covered by her raven mane.

As she got off of the elevator, she caught the eye of several other strangers. She took them in, noting that they were checking her out too. She ignored the stares and continued on her way to Gent’s office. She slammed the door rather hard to get his attention, even though she already had it.

“You’re in one of those moods, aren’t you?” Gent guessed. Isabel was a woman of extremes, he noted sometime ago. She was either very laidback or damned mad at the whole world.

“I’m deciding if I should beat your ass for calling me here or if I should beat the asses of everyone looking at my ass,” Isabel practically hissed. She was quite serious. She thought that beating up all of those men leering at her might ease her anger more. At least it would count as a workout.

“Well, how about you sit down and listen to me while you make your decision.”

Isabel took him up on the offer. She sat down and continued to ponder who would feel her wrath. The frown on her face let him know that she was serious and he knew that he had to figure out a way to keep her from wailing on his whole staff.

“Isabel, you’ve been a great enforcer, but now I have an even more important job for you,” he started out.

“Cut the sweet talk or I’ll go through this desk to get you,” she promised him.

“All right. I need you to act as bodyguard of my daughter.”

Isabel’s expression did not change. He was not sure what to make of that, but since she did not start strangling him or tell him to go fuck himself, he thought things had to be looking up. Her silence was odd, though. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: does Isabel take the job or go through the desk to get to Gent? Either way, life is bound to get more annoying for Isabel.


	23. Satan’s spawn

Chapter 23: Satan’s spawn

“You want me to be your daughter’s bodyguard?” Isabel asked, speaking to her boss, Cougar Gent. He just offered her what she guessed was a promotion. Too bad she was not in the mood or she might have taken it better.

“Yes. My daughter just arrived, having recently graduated from school. She’s going to be in town for the summer with nothing to do until graduate school starts up. She’s rather sick of all of the men around her, so I thought that maybe you’d make a better guard,” he explained.

“Oh, you’d rather she would be around the suspected dyke of your bunch rather than your horny young men,” Isabel remarked as if it was nothing.

“I think we both know you’re no dyke,” he stated with the utmost confidence.

“You think you know me so well,” she commented.

“Don’t I?” he countered smugly.

“You haven’t even scratched the surface,” she replied in her usual monotone voice.

“You think you’re so deep, Isabel. I know you well enough to know that you’ll take this summer job if only out of curiosity and the fact that it means more money,” he said easily. The glint in his eyes indicated that he was having a good time.

Isabel stood up and folded her arms across her chest. She glared at him as if she was trying to pierce his heart with her gaze. He did not waver under the intense jade grill. Isabel made sure to take note of that.

“You’re going to trust your daughter with me?” she asked just to be sure. 

“I’d trust no one else to protect her,” he replied.

“You’re not as smart as I first assumed.”

“You of all people should know not to fool around with someone’s daughter.”

Isabel seemed to glance right over that statement. “Where is she now?”

“She’ll be coming into office any moment now. I’m sure you two will get along well.”

Isabel did not pay that remark any mind. She did not get along with most people, but she would wait to see what his daughter was like. It did not take more than a minute for a young woman to enter the office; Isabel guessed that she was about the same age as Kat was. There were three gentlemen with her dressed in suits; they were obviously the bodyguards that Isabel figured she was replacing. There was no way in hell she would work with them.

The men stood by the door while the attractive young woman proceeded to the desk. Isabel took note that the men were checking her out while the young woman spared her a lingering glance, but not long enough for most people to notice. She did not respond outwardly to either.

“It’s good to see you again, Daddy,” the young woman said to Gent while making her way around his desk to kiss his cheek.

There was little family resemblance between the pair aside for similar skin tones. The daughter had the same caramel complexion, but hers seemed much smoother. Her hazel eyes were bright, almost cheerful, but hidden behind thin-framed glasses. Her face was oval-shaped and framed by dark brown curls that fell passed her shoulders.

“I’m glad you’re back, precious,” Gent replied.

“I hope you’re glad enough to have taken my request under consideration,” the daughter remarked, smiling in a sickeningly sweet manner.

“I have. I’d like you to meet Isabel,” Gent said while motioning to the now-former enforcer with a sweep of his right hand.

The daughter turned to get a good look at Isabel. The street fighter watched as a smirk appeared on the younger woman’s face and the glint in her eyes. Being somewhat of an expert, Isabel knew that both expressions from the woman were devilish and sure signs of trouble. She could only wonder what she had gotten herself into now.

“Isabel, this is my daughter, Jasmine Gent,” he introduced the pair, pride making his voice a little deeper than usual.

“I would have expected the daughter of a man named Cougar to have a more ridiculous name,” Isabel remarked, not bothering to extend her hand for the younger woman to shake. Her mood still had not improved since being called in from her morning training exercises to deal with work.

“He did try,” Jasmine commented, still smiling. She glanced at her father, who smiled a bit himself.

“I’m sure he did. Well, we’ve met and everything, but I am on a schedule, so ta-ta,” Isabel said in a dismissive tone while turning to leave.

“Isabel,” Cougar said, halting her exit, much to her annoyance. She was already at the door already.

“What?” she snarled, not even bothering to turn and face him. He could tell she was tense just from her rigid stance alone. He could see her shoulder muscles flexing and it was a frightening sight.

“Try not to kill anyone on your way out and take Jasmine along with you. She’s somewhat new to the city, having been away at boarding school and college,” he told her casually.

Isabel’s hand balled up into a fist without any orders from her brain to do so. She gritted her teeth together and slowly turned around to face him. She noted the almost amused expression on his face.

“I see. You just really want to see how far you can push me before I rush that table and put you in a coma. It won’t take much,” Isabel vowed.

“It’s not his fault really,” Jasmine chimed in and she went to stand closer to Isabel. She looked up at the taller woman and gave her a rather pitiful expression. “I asked him to find me some company while I’m in town, someone to show me around. Don’t blame him.”

Isabel was unmoved. “A family of con-artists. You two are fucking with the wrong woman, just to let you know. You keep messing with the bull and you will get the horns,” she promised them.

Isabel then yanked the door open, almost pulling it out of the wall. Jasmine chuckled a bit, more out of shock than amusement, and followed behind the taller woman. Cougar was not sure what to make of the scene, but he hoped that he had left his daughter with the right person. If not, he silently vowed that Isabel would pay for any scratch on his daughter with one on her own.

Isabel scowled deeply as she made her way to the elevator with Jasmine trailing behind her and several eyes trailing on her behind. Her jaw tensed as she stepped into the elevator and the thing could not hit the lobby fast enough for her. But then, when she was able to get out of the elevator, she found her day only being upset more as she passed the two strangers on the main floor hanging out with the usual two security guards.

“I wonder if she could hold drinks on that ass.” The words were muttered, almost inaudible, but Isabel’s ears twitched as they were spoken.

The security guards winced as one of the new buddies found out why Isabel had actually just been given their job. Her sharp elbow was on his jaw in a split second and he was on the floor before anyone realized it. Isabel put her foot on his neck and growled down at him while he spit out blood from his mouth. A tooth followed the blood.

“You won’t have to wonder if I could fuck you up, do you?” the raven-haired Amazon inquired.

“Let him up,” the fallen fellow’s comrade demanded with his hand going in his jacket. 

“Don’t!” the security guards tried to warn the new guy.

He did not heed their warning and Isabel was on him before he even had a chance to pull his gun. Her foot slammed against his face with a force that he could barely comprehend. He was unconscious on the floor and staining the tile with crimson flowing from his mouth.

“Uh…did you kill him, Isabel?” the shorter security guard inquired.

“I would like to, but I’m in a better mood than I assumed. Leave them both here to think about what they’ve done,” Isabel ordered the guards. They nodded mutely and in unison.

Isabel then continued on her way with the boss’ daughter trailing behind her like an intrigued puppy. Jasmine’s mouth could not seem to close after witnessing that strange display of power. She was not sure that she had ever seen anything like it. Added to that was Isabel attitude, as if she did things like that everyday and it was nothing to do. Also, the way she ordered the guards, like it was only natural for them to obey her.

“You,” Isabel said suddenly as they got to the end of the street.

“Me?” Jasmine asked; she was still behind the street fighter, so she was not sure if Isabel was speaking to her. Then again, there was no one else around.

“Don’t follow me.”

“But, you’re my bodyguard while I’m in town.”

“I’m not a babysitter.”

“You agreed to take the job,” Jasmine reminded Isabel while coming to stand next to the taller woman.

“I agreed to be a bodyguard, not a babysitter.” Isabel wanted to go back home and she was not in the mood to have a guest at her home, so she needed to get rid of Jasmine.

“And what is your definition of the two?” Jasmine inquired curiously, her odd cat-like eyes staring intently from behind her glasses. Her voice was almost smug, but amused; Isabel internally frowned at that.

“My definitions of the two are not the point of discussion. The point is that I don’t want you following me around. I’ll guard you when it is necessary. I doubt you need a guard this close to your father.”

“Obviously he would disagree as he did tell me to go with you,” the gangster’s daughter countered smoothly.

“I don’t give a fuck what he would do,” the fighter commented.

“But, he is your boss.”

“No, he thinks he’s my boss, as you seem to think he is too.”

“How profound,” Jasmine commented, obviously sarcastic. “You do receive payment from my father for services rendered, making him your boss, correct?”

“I see college isn’t a waste on you,” Isabel remarked. “And if you think I don’t notice that you’re trying to distract me with some bit that you’d like to pass as wit, you’re highly mistaken. I’m not a tour guide nor am I in the mood to be followed by a brat.”

“So quick to judge,” the college student commented, taking mock-offense to those words. She went so far as to let out a fake gasp.

“Call it a gift.”

“But, you must admit that you’re somewhat enjoying my company considering the fact that if you honestly wanted to be rid of me, you could have made it happen. I mean, the way you flattened my other bodyguards is clear evidence of that,” Jasmine reasoned.

“Don’t give yourself so much credit. I’m not a bully,” Isabel stated soundly.

“But surely you knew my guards were no match for you,” Jasmine pointed out.

“Well, one does not lock eyes with a lion and expect to come away unscathed,” the raven-haired warrior quipped.

“Well, aren’t I poking the lion with a stick right now?” the college-student countered, smiling all the way through.

“If your life is so bad and you wish to commit suicide, there are plenty of ways to do it. Leave me out of it,” Isabel dismissed the student, brushing her off with a wave of her hand too.

Jasmine chuckled a bit and continued to follow Isabel despite being told not to. She was not quite sure why she was pressing her luck. Perhaps she thought that Isabel would not harm her because she was Cougar Gent’s only daughter or perhaps she could tell that Isabel would not harm her because it was clear that she was not a fighter and she believed that Isabel was not a bully, like Isabel said. Whatever the reason, she pressed with this very dangerous creature, intrigued by her if nothing else.  _Well, maybe even enchanted_ , she considered.

“What if I promise to be very quiet and out of the way?” Jasmine proposed.

“What if you were very quiet and out of the way because you won’t be there?” Isabel replied.

Jasmine chuckled again. Isabel had a feeling that she was not going to lose her current pest without some sort of violent reaction on her part, which she really did not feel like doing. It was not much fun hurting someone that could not even pretend to fight back. She supposed that she was going to have to change her plans then.

Instead of going home, Isabel went to a nearby gym. Jasmine stayed by her side, talking to her and keeping her talking despite the fact that she was sure that she was annoyed with the college student. Isabel found an unoccupied blue heavy-bag to beat up on while continuing her conversation/banter with Jasmine.

The tall warrior found herself in a predicament after a while, though. Sure, she could workout at the gym, no problem. But, she still had to go home to get new clothes and she doubted that Jasmine was going to leave her alone to allow her to do that with her new shadow. There was also the fact that she was going to have to pick Cassandra up from school soon. Would Jasmine still be around for that? She guessed so.

“You don’t have some place to be? Like meeting friends at a mall or something?” Isabel inquired as she decided to take her final hits on the bag. She was thankful that someone walked by with the offer to hold it while she pounded it. She was also thankful that person had kept his mouth shut aside for commenting on Isabel’s form, but his words did encourage Jasmine to keep her mouth going too.

“I would rather join you in the shower,” Jasmine remarked.

Isabel quirked an eyebrow to that; it was not the first suggestive thing that Jasmine had said to her, but it was easily the most direct. Isabel could not take the time to really focus on Jasmine to figure out how much of it was a joke, but she brushed it off as the student trying to tease her. That thinking currently made more sense than anything else.

“I don’t bathe with weaklings,” Isabel replied.

“While I might not be able to beat a defenseless bag to death, I’m not so weak. Doesn’t having a brain count for something?” Jasmine inquired with a fake pout.

“Perhaps if it was proven that you had such a thing to begin with,” Isabel answered.

“So, you don’t bathe with weaklings, but you have no problem conversing with a perceived idiot for long periods of time?” Jasmine asked, having the nerve to sound curious as if she had the street fighter with her logic.

“It is quite amusing,” Isabel replied.

“Ah, so you find me amusing. I think I’ve worked my way into your skin already. Now, if only I could work my way into other places.”

“Does Daddy-dearest know what you allow to come out of your mouth?”

“There is quite a bit that Daddy doesn’t know about his baby girl. Perhaps you’d care to find out?” Jasmine smirked.

Isabel scoffed; the game was not so amusing to her anymore because she was not interested in being played by a kid getting a kick out of messing with her. She suddenly abandoned her workout and started walking for the door. Jasmine was confused for a moment, but she did chase after her new guard.

“Isabel, wait!” Jasmine called and she could see some of Isabel’s expression. She considered that she might have gone too far. “I’m sorry if I offended you. I thought that we were just playing around.”

“I have no interest in playing around with you, princess. I have things to do with my day rather than entertain you,” Isabel said.

Jasmine made a puzzled face for a moment. She thought that had been having a decent time going back and forth with each other. She wondered if Isabel was just a moody person and had such odd swings all of the time or if she honestly did something to insult her bodyguard. She studied the pale woman’s face, hoping to find answers, but all the slightly tense expression offered was annoyance.

“You’re a hard woman to get to know,” Jasmine said with a sigh.

“Perhaps I don’t want to get to know you,” Isabel replied in her typical blunt style.

“Why? You’re not even giving me a chance. We’re going to be around each other quite a bit if you’re going to be my bodyguard. What’s wrong with me making an attempt to get along with you?” Jasmine inquired.

Isabel thought it was quite the logical argument. If anything that she noticed about the student so far was that the college education was not going to waste. Jasmine seemed like quite the intelligent young woman, but that did not cancel out the problem that Isabel thought that the mob-boss’ daughter was trying to toy around with her.

“There’s nothing wrong with it if said attempt was genuine, as we will be spending a lot of time together,” Isabel admitted. It was only just now that she realized how she would be spending so much time with Jasmine. It would probably be better for them to get along than for her to have to spend her time tense and loathing that she had agreed to such a job.

“Who says I’m not being genuine? Just because my father may like screwing with you doesn’t mean I’m trying to do the same…although it is an intriguing notion that I wouldn’t mind exploring,” Jasmine quipped.

“And this is genuine?” Isabel inquired with a craned eyebrow, expressing her skepticism.

“Indeed. What, I’m not allowed to proposition you? Is it because you work for my father? I tell you now that my other bodyguards would have loved for me to say such things to them and have been quite serious about it.”

Isabel paused for a moment and let Jasmine’s words roll around in her head. She took a sideways glance at the student, taking in her serious face. Isabel nodded to herself and focused her eyes back ahead of her.

“Why are you doing this?” Isabel inquired.

“I want you to trust me. I want us to get along. So far, I like you,” Jasmine answered honestly.

“And if I don’t like you?”

“I would be quite bothered. I’ve never met anyone like you and I would like to get to know you better. I would like to be around you to see if you’re actually the nice person I suspect, hiding underneath all of the bitterness and anger you displayed today.”

Isabel laughed, not totally believing the situation that she was currently in. She smiled a bit and turned to look at Jasmine. The smaller brunette smiled too, taking Isabel’s expression as a good thing.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, precious. I’m far from a nice person,” Isabel stated coldly. In fact, she doubted that she had ever met someone that would describe her as “nice.”

“We’ll see,” Jasmine replied.

Isabel did not argue and did not say anything as Jasmine followed her back to her apartment. She supposed it did not matter since Gent and several of his soldiers knew where her home was. If they were smart, they would stay away, though.

Isabel was a bit surprised that Jasmine walked all the way with her without complaining. The college student did run her mouth the entire way, but it was not irksome. She offered up conversation that allowed Isabel to jump in at anytime and she had way of baiting Isabel right into the discussion. It was a skill that Isabel was not used to.

“This is your place?” Jasmine asked curiously as they entered Isabel’s apartment.

“No, I just enter random homes to take a shower,” Isabel replied dryly as she took her shoes off and started up the stairs. “Make sure you take your shoes off or don’t bother coming up,” she warned her charge.

Jasmine took the warning quite seriously and quickly took her shoes off. She followed Isabel up the stairs. She went to the first landing because that was where Isabel was. She watched as the fighter went into her bedroom and she tried to follow, but the door was slammed in her face.

“What? You don’t want me to see you getting naked?” Jasmine called through the door with an amused grin on her face.

“I’d give you an eye full, but I don’t want to have to deal with you passing out once you catch a glimpse,” Isabel replied dryly.

Jasmine could not help laughing. She decided to leave Isabel to her shower and look around the apartment. She glanced at the room across the hall and saw another bedroom with the door slightly ajar. She decided to go investigate.

She softly walked over to the other room and pushed the door open a bit more. Her mouth made a silent “o” as she took in the sight. It was clear that she was looking into a child’s room, even though it was an odd décor.

The room was painted a soft blue now. There were some toys littering the floor, action figures and handheld games. The strange items in the room were hand and feet guards, clearly used for fight training. There were some bandages lying on the floor. There was a heavy-bag position in the corner.

“She has a kid?” Jasmine wondered to herself. It was a bit shocking; Isabel did not come off as the motherly type to her. She began to ponder what else she might have been wrong about. “Maybe I did judge her too quickly, but she does seem like a good person to know. Hopefully, I’ll get to know her a little better.”

Jasmine decided to step away from the cluttered bedroom before she ended up busted by Isabel. She sighed and wondered what else there was for her to look at. She went upstairs and examined the living room and kitchen. She nodded to herself; it was an impressive apartment.

“Have you enjoyed snooping?” Isabel inquired, startling Jasmine, who was in the kitchen, running her hand over the counter.

Jasmine jumped from the voice behind her. She whipped around and was surprised by the sight that greeted her. Isabel was dressed for the delightful weather that was thanks to the Spring season. She had on a pair of black capri pants; her favorite style when the weather allowed for it. A powder blue shirt practically hugged her with the intensity of an anguished lover.

“Do…you…always dress like that?” Jasmine asked curiously while only hoping that her mouth was not hanging open. She was very aware that she was close to drooling.

“Whenever the weather permits it. Do you always dress like that?” Isabel countered.

“More often than not. I do prefer to wear nothing at all, though,” Jasmine stated with a playful smirk. She was not going to let this bizarre, yet beautiful creature trip her up.

“And touch yourself, eh?” Isabel remarked with a teasing smirk of her own.

Jasmine huffed; it seemed that Isabel had her now. But, she was not one to give up. “Imagining that it’s you,” she added in.

“Because that’s as far as you’re going to get.”

And Jasmine frowned. She had been defeated that time around because she had nothing to make a comeback with. Isabel did not say anything about the silence and turned on her heel to go back downstairs. Jasmine followed behind her again.

“Where are we off to now?” Jasmine asked, sounding normal, even though she was a bit upset with having lost that little verbal bout with her new guard.

“What do you care if you’re just going to follow me anyway?” Isabel replied smugly. Apparently, she knew that she had the upper hand.

“I take it back, you’re not a nice person. You’re obviously quite evil,” Jasmine commented, smiling as she spoke.

“Now you’re learning something.”

“Then I’ll just have to be evil right back,” Jasmine remarked, smile morphing into a devilish smirk.

Isabel rolled her eyes; it would seem that she was skeptical on the matter. They walked quietly to Cassandra’s school. Isabel did not have a problem with it since Jasmine had already been in her home. She knew that plenty of Gent’s goons knew where Cassandra went to school and what her child looked like; she doubted that Jasmine having the information would amount to much.

Cassandra marched over to her mother as soon as school was out. Jasmine stared at the child, amazed that she looked so much like Isabel. Cassandra stared at the woman with her mother and asked a question that had Jasmine ready to burst into a giggle fit.

“Who the fuck is this?” Cassandra asked curiously, pointing at the mysterious newcomer. Her tone was not rude, merely like a child wondering who the stranger was…just with a couple of added words.

“This is Jasmine Gent. My current job. She’ll be following us around like the little puppy she is,” Isabel answered blandly.

“I’ll paw at you too, if you’d like,” Jasmine commented, smirking at Isabel.

“I’ll kick you too, if you’d like,” Isabel replied and started walking.

Cassandra was silent as she watched her mother interact with Jasmine as they started toward the apartment. Things were odd, the child thought. She just could not figure out what they were. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Isabel and Jasmine have a couple of dangerous encounters.


	24. Show ya mine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: this chapter depicts two women in a sexual relationship with each other, which I don’t really show, but it is there. If this bothers you…not only should you skip the end of this chapter, but skip the next few that come along.

Chapter 24: Show ya mine

Isabel could not shake the feeling that she was on a date. She supposed that it did not help matters that the person that she was with kept referring to it as a date. It would not be so bad if the person was at least Jason, but she was, in fact, out with Jasmine Gent, the daughter of her employer and infamous mob boss Cougar Gent. Ever since being handed the assignment of being Jasmine’s bodyguard, Isabel had to put up with the younger woman’s none-too-subtle attraction to her.

Jasmine had “forced” Isabel to take her to the movies. Really, there was no forcing Isabel into anything and she happened to go because she was somewhat curious about the movie thanks to seeing a few commercials. So, she had managed to get her mother to watch Cassandra for the night, as Jason claimed he could not do so because of some business-thing-excuse that she did not bother to listen to once he denied her the service of babysitting.

“So, are you going to buy me things at the concession stand?” Jasmine inquired with a near grin on her face. She was obviously enjoying things; a little too much in Isabel’s opinion.

“You have more money than I make in a month. If anything, you should be treating me to things at the concession stand,” Isabel countered dryly.

“Well, I will if that will get you to at least hold my hand like a good date would,” Jasmine remarked, smiling as if laughing on the inside. Her eyes were shinning behind her glasses, unable to mask her joy.

Isabel rolled her eyes. Ever since she met Jasmine, they had been going through this little song and dance. She was fairly certain that Jasmine was not faking her flirtatious nature, but she was also fairly certain that it was all just a game to the college student. Still, most of the time, Isabel found herself playing the game, having trouble avoiding amusing verbal battles whenever they came up.

“You’re a horrible date,” Jasmine proclaimed as if she was upset and she marched off ahead of Isabel, probably trying to cause a scene for her own amusement, the bodyguard figured.

Isabel did not indulge Jasmine and just hurried along to remain close to her; she was a bodyguard after all. Not to mention, Jasmine had the tickets, as she had insisted on paying. Jasmine was kind enough to wait for her bodyguard when getting to the guy that took the tickets. Maybe she did not want to see Isabel kill the poor kid if he stopped her for a ticket or maybe she wanted to walk into the theater by Isabel’s side.

“Could you at least look like you want to be here? I picked a movie that you wanted to see too,” Jasmine pointed out while wrapping her arm around Isabel’s, practically cuddling the taller woman.

“What makes you think I want to see this?” Isabel inquired while leading her charge to a seat in the back, the way back. Isabel forced Jasmine into the open seat in the corner and took the one next to her. The corner seat was also next to the open corridor that led to the doors with a divider high enough for people coming in and out to not distract the person sitting there.

“Why’d we sit here?” the caramel-skinned woman asked, ignoring her bodyguard’s question. She was not completely oblivious to the world and noticed things about Isabel that allowed her to see that her bodyguard was somewhat interested in the movie.

Isabel snorted like an annoyed horse. “Questions, questions, questions. Why don’t you just watch the movie and let me worry about why we sat here?”

“You’re being paranoid, aren’t you?”

Isabel did not respond. It was not paranoia if she always sat with her back to a wall, for her whole life. She had to reduce the fronts that they could be attacked on. She was supposed to keep Jasmine safe, after all; even if the fool girl seemed to think the world was a big game, Isabel added mentally.

They turned their attention to the movie, but neither of them focused solely on the movie. Isabel was a natural at dividing her attention, so it was hard to tell that she was not just watching the movie. Jasmine’s eyes wandered, though, as did her mind.

Jasmine glanced at this tall, regal, graceful creature next to her. Isabel seemed like an amazon to her, just from sight, but also from presence. Something about Isabel seemed to suggest that she could stand against any enemy, any number of enemies, with her typical calm and decimate them all without breaking a sweat, without a hair mussed, and without breathing hard. That quality alone was entrancing and intriguing for Jasmine.

Isabel was also plenty of things that Jasmine, and other people, never would suspect, even after seeing it; like the fact that Isabel was a fantastic cook. Jasmine never would have seen that coming, except she had chilled at Isabel’s home ever since meeting her a couple of weeks ago. The other strange fact that she learned from going to Isabel’s home and being around Isabel was that Isabel was very much into family.

Sure, Isabel never overtly showed her love for her family, but Jasmine knew it was there. It went beyond the way that Isabel showered Cassandra with attention…in the strange way that she did. But, there was also the way that Isabel always made time for her sister, even though she made sure to seem extra annoyed, even when on the phone with Katherine. There was also the way that she treated Ellie, her pseudo-sister from what Jasmine could tell.

Jasmine found it amusing that “the beast-woman” that scared every man in her father’s organization was actually a loving soul. It was quite the attractive quality, more so than her calm demeanor and doll-like beauty. Even more so than the mystery that Isabel had about her. The loving aspect of her personality was the most attractive piece of her, even though she tried to keep it hidden. But, how the hell did such a trait exist in Isabel, a woman who wanted people to look at her like she was some kind of demon? Jasmine wanted to find out.

The pair did pay some mind to the movie. It was a bit of a disappointment, taking too long to get to the promised action and not spending enough time on it. Isabel was happy to rise as the credits began to roll, as was Jasmine.

“You know you don’t pick anymore movies,” Isabel commented dully as she made their way down the aisle to exist the theater.

“What? You wanted to see that crap too!” Jasmine argued with a grin.

“I never said I wanted to see that movie,” the taller woman countered, having the nerve to look just a little smug.

“You know you did!”

They hit the streets at that point and suddenly Isabel’s attention divided again as they tried to make their way to Jasmine’s car, which was around the other side in the parking lot. Jasmine kept up her argument for a moment, not noticing that she was essentially talking to the back of Isabel’s head. Isabel’s gaze was out in the street. Too much movement there, she thought as men started pouring out of seven different cars lined up on the street.

“Jasmine, go back inside,” Isabel ordered in a stone-cold tone.

“What?” Jasmine replied, brow furrowing in confusion.

“Go back inside!” Isabel roared while shoving the college student in the direction of the movie theater as four men charged over, pushing their way through the crowd of exiting movie-goers.

Isabel swore loudly and threw herself in the direction of Jasmine as the men went into their jackets, pulling out handguns. The pale street fighter spring into action faster than most would think humanly possible. There were no pulled punches either; never that when guns were involved…as well as other things that she did not bother to consider.

Jasmine’s face was laced with abject terror as she saw guns being aimed at her and then Isabel seemed to come from all directions, as if she was some form of liquid or gas, existing on all sides around those men. A shot was fired between the four men, causing Jasmine to nearly jump out of her skin, before they were all laid out on the street and Isabel appeared more furious than when she began, which spelled doomed for the other approaching men.

Jasmine screamed as the scene played out like something from a movie. She did have the presence of mind to go hide, but it was not a brilliant hiding space. She took refuge behind a wall while Isabel did her job.

Jasmine’s eyes were focused so greatly on Isabel taking down what seemed like a million men to her—but, was only a dozen—that the mob boss’ daughter did not notice the man coming up behind her with a gun. She did scream again as a shot rang out near her ear and her heart almost exploded in her chest as she was certain that she was shot from behind. She spun around so fast that she made herself dizzy and saw that Isabel was standing close to her. She looked down and saw a man at her feet, a gun still clutched in his hand.

“Go into the movie theater,” Isabel said in a dead calm to her charge. Other patrons had felt into the theater when the fighting started and others went in when they heard shots fired. The chaos was to her advantage because her foes had a hard time keeping track of her in the moving crowd.

Jasmine nodded and rushed inside now, even though it worried her to leave Isabel to fight against such odds. She was not left to wonder what was happening for too long, though. Isabel came in less than a minute after her and grabbed her by the hand. Isabel calmly tugged her out of the theater and down a different street toward the subway, keeping an eye out to be sure that no one was following them. They were going to take the train home that night; she hoped none of the gunmen suspected that.

They made it to the underground platform and finally took in each other’s appearances. Isabel silently inspected Jasmine, trying to see if the few stray shots had gotten close to her. Jasmine was sweating hard, hair mussed, and a bit dirty, but there were no signs of blood or bruising.

“Isabel, are you all right?” Jasmine asked in a panic, breath coming in pants. She was a bit disturbed because there was some blood on Isabel’s face. She clutched the taller woman tightly, almost desperately.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Isabel replied, reaching down to caress Jasmine’s head and comfort her. The motions just happened without thought.

“The blood…” Jasmine whispered. Her eyes watered and her bottom lip quivered.

“It’s nothing serious. Most of it isn’t even mine. Just calm down,” Isabel stated, firmly, but gently. 

“We almost died…” the college student said and then she gulped.

“Not really. It wasn’t that bad. So, just calm down. I’m here and I’ll protect you,” Isabel promised.

Jasmine trembled against Isabel, but the bodyguard kept a firm hold on her. The fighter did not let go even when the train arrived and they sat down. She glanced around for any suspicious movement, but everything seemed fine with the few other passengers in the car. The ride was quiet until they got out of the tunnels. Isabel then pulled out her cell phone, her work cell.

“Yeah, Isabel, here. Some of Draco’s men just attacked me and Jasmine at the movies. I think Jasmine was the target, but considering how many men it was, they might have been looking to take both of us out,” Isabel reported. She knew that they were Draco’s men because she had seen a few of them before. She wondered what the hell he thought he was doing, attacking her with men that she could identify and link to him. It was just plain suicide.

“We’ll take care of it,” William informed her.

“Don’t take care of it without me,” Isabel commanded with a snarl.

“We’ll see.”

Isabel hung up; he had better not take care of things with her. No one just pulled a gun on her and did not suffer her wrath and to her Draco was the one that pulled the gun on her because he was the one that sent the men. She really could not believe that he sent enforcers that recognized. _Rather unwise of him_ , she thought.

Isabel felt shivering against her and recalled Jasmine and how shaken up she was. She tightened her hold on the caramel-skinned female, which caused Jasmine to hold her just as tightly. They remained like that for the train ride.

“You know, that was my first time on the subway,” Jasmine commented quietly as Isabel led her off of the train.

“I hope you enjoyed it,” Isabel remarked, her tone joking and playful. She was trying to draw out the usual Jasmine, but she seemed to be done for the night.

“Are we going to your house?” the younger woman asked curiously.

“Yes.”

“Good.”

The walk was short and quiet. Jasmine remained curled into Isabel, who kept her arms around the younger woman. They went up to the living room once they were in the apartment and Isabel placed Jasmine down on the sofa.

“I’ll make you some tea. That’s sure to help your nerves,” Isabel said.

“Thank you,” the college student whispered.

Isabel just shook her head and walked into the kitchen. Jasmine stayed on the couch, fiddling with her arms. She looked around the apartment and realized that it was empty aside for herself and Isabel.

“Where’s Cassandra?” Jasmine asked curiously. Seeing the “little woman,” as Jasmine had come to think of the child because she acted so much like an adult, probably would have helped calm her nerves. Cassandra had developed a liking to her, mostly because she teased Cassandra’s mother.

“She’s with her grandmother right now. I suppose I will have to tell her that she’ll be staying there for the night,” Isabel replied with a calm that helped ease Jasmine’s quivering insides.

It was at that that Isabel expected Jasmine to make some crude comment that never even crossed the younger woman’s mind. Isabel knew that Jasmine had to be truly out of sorts if that smart mouth of hers was not shooting off at the moment. She made her phone call while the water for the tea boiled.

“Mommy, I know I was supposed to be back for Cassandra by now, but something came up,” Isabel said into the phone, frowning a bit because her mother was giving her the usual hard time.

“What could have possibly come up?” Isabella inquired. She was much more curious than anything else. It was not like Isabel to leave her little bug places for longer than planned.

“A little situation has come up. It’s not going to be the safest around me for a few days,” Isabel said as if it was nothing.

“I am to keep Cassandra for those few days?”

“If you could.”

The line went dead on that note, Isabella having hung up on Isabel. The sound of the dial tone was all the answer that Isabel needed. She went to make the tea after that, carrying the two cups into the living room, and placing them down on the coasters on the coffee table.

“It’s really quiet without Cassandra around,” Jasmine noted. It was almost as if for the first time she did not know what to talk about. She even looked a little perplexed, like she did not know how to hold a conversation.

“Thank god. How someone related to me can make so much noise is a mystery,” Isabel commented, purposely giving Jasmine an opening.

The innuendo laced remark that Isabel was expecting never came. Jasmine’s eyes focused on the floor and her mind was void of most things except the lingering fear that came with being shot at. She picked up her tea with shaky hands, but did not get a chance to drink it. Isabel grabbed her by the wrist.

“You might want to wait for the steam to stop rising off of the cup,” Isabel suggested. She really did not wish to see one of her favorite tea cups shattered on the floor because of Jasmine’s nervousness.

“Oh…right,” Jasmine said and she put the cup back down.

“This is just depressing,” Isabel thought. She considered that she might actually go get Cassandra, just for some decent conversation. “Jasmine, if you want to cry, could you just get it out of the way?” she requested, sighing in frustration.

“I don’t want to cry!” Jasmine roared, indignant and offended that Isabel would even suggest such a thing. Her eyes were ablaze with fury now, covering the fear and worry from just seconds ago.

“If you’re not going to cry, then suck it up and move on. This anxiety bullshit over something that’s over and done with bothers me. You’re being more fucking annoying than usual by acting like a baby,” Isabel stated bluntly.

“People shot at us! I was mere millimeters from dying!” Jasmine pointed out, anger flashing in her eyes in like a warning that Isabel did not heed.

A pale hand waved the ordeal off. “A bullet zipped by your ear, big deal.”

“It almost hit me!” the younger woman huffed. She snarled and flashed her teeth at Isabel like a mad dog.

“But, it didn’t hit you and that was by design. Didn’t I make you a promise?” Isabel asked.

Jasmine’s face curled up in fury and confusion. “You’re not some crazy immortal, Isabel! You can’t protect me from bullets!”

Isabel’s eyebrows curled up. “Then what did I just do?” she asked as if she seriously did not understand. 

“You almost got me shot is what you did! You were more interested in showing off your kung-fu skills to everyone involved than worrying about little old me!” Jasmine said and her usual teasing tone slowly crept into that sentence. Her expression transformed just a little into her taunting smirk.

“And what would you have me do? Run off with you into a crowded theater and let them open fire at both of us and into the crowd?” Isabel inquired and she was almost certain that she would get a wiseass remark from the younger woman now. She was about to be sorely disappointed.

Jasmine’s brain practically tripped over itself and she was not sure what to say. What had she expected of Isabel? She did not know and taking a moment to think about it did not do anything except suck the playfulness that they had going right out of the room. Her eyes fell back into her tea cup. Isabel frowned a bit.

“Maybe you should drink the tea now,” the street fighter suggested, taking into account that her guest’s hands were no longer trembling.

She nodded and picked up her tea. She sipped the hot beverage and Isabel did the same. Isabel finished her first and stood up to put her cup in the sink.

“I’m going to take a shower,” Isabel said. _Surely Jasmine had one of those “can I join you?” requests for her, right?_

“Can I take one after you? My clothes feel sticky,” Jasmine explained, tugging lightly at her shirt. The subway had been hot and muggy, causing her to sweat.

Isabel sighed. “Sure. I’ll get you some other clothes too.”

Isabel disappeared downstairs and Jasmine was left to her thoughts. Jasmine sighed and stared out into room, but really her eyes saw nothing. Her mind begged to know once again: what had she expected of Isabel?

“It was like I didn’t think she’d actually save me if things came to that. Maybe I didn’t think she actually cared about me. I’m just a job for her, from a man that I can tell she doesn’t like. But, she made me that promise, that she would protect me, and she kept her word. She protected me, saved me, kept me alive. And she’s been being so nice to me…” Jasmine said to herself.

For some reason, it did not make any sense to her; she could not figure out why Isabel did what she promised to do. Jasmine was from a world of liars where a promise was more worthless than the air it took to speak it. Isabel was something otherworldly to her because of the fact that she honored her promise.

She did not get much of a chance to think beyond that as Isabel returned with the clothes for her. Isabel then informed her that she could use the main bathroom. Isabel was going to shower in the bathroom in her bedroom.

Jasmine nodded and they parted their ways there to have their showers. Isabel showered and saw to the few minor injuries that she had. The worst thing she had were scratches and she was bothered by those, even though considering the circumstances, most people would figure that she was lucky to have walked away with a few scratches.

“The least he could have done was send some worthy opponents. I wonder what happened to the twins. I’ll call them and ask if they had a falling out with Draco,” Isabel said to the mirror as she dried her hair.

The twins that she was referring to were the pair of clerks that she met in Draco’s “dry-cleaners.” They had been quite the duo and they hit it off with Isabel after they fought. They were sparring partners for her now and spoke to her about just about anything, even without her asking.

When she was done with her hair, she changed into her nightclothes, which were a plain white tank top and powder blue sweat shorts. She exited her bathroom and was set to leave her bedroom too. She wanted to find out what her guest was going to do for the night. She did not have to go far for Jasmine because the younger woman was standing right outside of her bedroom door.

“Yes?” Isabel said because she was bit confused by Jasmine standing before her as she was. The few times that Jasmine had been in her home, she had never come to lower levels for anything, respecting that it was Isabel’s private area.

Jasmine was silent and she looked away. Isabel craned an eyebrow and wondered if Jasmine was still being affected by what happened earlier. She really was not in the mood to deal with a dejected Jasmine anymore. She soon found that was not the case; she was going to have to deal with a different sort of Jasmine.

The caramel-skinned woman suddenly flung herself onto Isabel and before Isabel could inquire as to what the hell was going on, she felt a soft pair of lips on her own. Apparently, the lack of response from Isabel did not stop Jasmine from kissing her for almost thirty seconds.

“Jasmine, what’re you doing?” Isabel asked as she managed to escape a very determined mouth.

“I would have thought it obvious,” Jasmine remarked with a half-smirk on her face. Well, at least she seemed to be back to normal…somewhat.

Isabel was not sure what to say, but she did consider that Jasmine was just reacting once again to what happened early. She was not in the mood to be used by her boss’ brat, so she figured that she needed to put a stop to thinking.

“Jasmine, I’m not going to sleep with you just because you’re still shaken up from what happened earlier,” Isabel commented matter-of-factly.

“That’s not it. That’s certainly not it,” Jasmine insisted while grabbing onto Isabel’s hand. She had the pale hand in her own and looked down at it with a smile. “You actually kept your promise to me. You have no idea how much something like that means to me. So, to hell with everything else that happened today. That’s all that matters now. That’s all that moves me.”

Before Isabel could respond, those sweet lips were on hers again. Jasmine tasted good, the street fighter noted, very good. It was like having honey touching her own lips and before she knew it, she was kissing Jasmine back. She was kissing back the boss’ daughter.

With Isabel’s participation, thus approval, Jasmine went for move, trying to coax the taller woman’s mouth open with gentle, but hungry laps from her tongue. Once again, Isabel responded as desired. They then proceeded to try to devour the other in a frenzy, delighting in each other’s feel and taste, only wanting more.

Jasmine ripped at Isabel’s pajamas while Isabel backed into the bedroom with Jasmine following. The caramel-skinned woman kicked the door shut on her way in while making sure to stay connected to Isabel. Isabel ended up grabbing her and dropping her to the bed, which broke their kiss, but only for a moment. Isabel was down there with Jasmine in a split second and they were connected at the mouth just as quickly.

Fire burned in both of them as they pawed at each other, not even bothering to look at the skin that they were uncovering as they tore each other out of their clothing. Hands fervently wandered contrasting flesh, toned cream and soft caramel. Moans filled the room and mixed with the musk of lust. Panting, groaning, and moaning grew louder with every passing moment. Fingers journeyed while skin settled against each other, rubbing, caressing, and grinding, bringing forth more noise. There were not thoughts at the time, only actions. 

-8-8-8-8-

In that moment of clarity before the body realized that it needed sleep, Isabel stared at her ceiling as if it would say something to her. Her guest was asleep on her side, using her shoulder a pillow, and smiling as if thoroughly pleased about what just happened. Isabel was not planning to object either.

At the moment, Isabel was thinking about what she had just done. It was not the fact that she slept with the boss’ daughter or anything like that. She thought about it because she wondered if it counted as cheating. She was technically, if nothing else, still with Jason, as they never officially broke up. Sure, they went days, sometimes weeks, without seeing or speaking to each other, but neither of them had uttered the words “it’s over.” Hell, they never even hinted at it, despite all of their arguments and attitudes.

All of those thoughts fled her mind, though, as she felt Jasmine move against her and her body responded, enjoying the soft sensation. Maybe it was time to start playing the field again, Isabel told herself. What had waiting for Jason gotten her anyway? Disappointment, pain, and a beautiful daughter he did not seem to want. All right, maybe it was time to start. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Isabel is denied her revenge on Draco. Jasmine and Isabel try to figure out if they have a real relationship while Isabel keeps thinking about Jason.


	25. M.I.A

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter shows two women in a sexual relationship. If that’s not your cup of tea, sit this chapter out.

Chapter 25: M.I.A 

“So, what the fuck is so hard about waiting for me?” Isabel inquired, strolling in her “boss’” office with Ellie, Kat, and William there. Gent was sitting at his desk and watching Isabel pace, like everyone else. It was like they were waiting for the lioness to pick her meal and as soon as she did, the rest of them were going to flee the scene.

“Look, we just moved when we got word. You should be doing your own job, anyway,” William argued, trying to sound braver than he felt. He had seen Isabel in action too many times to know that he did not stand a chance with such a short distance between them.

Isabel stopped and her head snapped in his direction. He was pretty sure that his heart almost leaped out of his chest when she locked eyes with him. Her teeth ground together for a moment and then she chuckled a bit, sending a chill down his spine.

“A man takes a shot at me and at Jasmine and you don’t think I’m doing my job by looking to fucking put him in a coma?” Isabel asked in a calm tone.

William had to take a moment to breath before he could respond. “You’re using Jasmine as an excuse. You know you don’t give a damn that they took a shot at her. They took a shot at you and almost fucked up your money,” he reasoned.

“You’re right. They did take a shot at me and they did almost fuck up my money. But, the main point here is that you don’t fucking listen. Why the fuck didn’t you wait!” Isabel demanded to know.

Kat stepped forward and raised her hand. She also grabbed Ellie and forced her to raise her hand, as if she was child and turning them both in. Isabel turned her attention to them.

“It’s because of you guys?” Isabel huffed, glaring at the pair as if they committed the ultimate sin.

Kat jumped in immediately now that the yelling was somewhat directed toward her. “What the fuck did you expect?! Billy here calls and tells us what the fuck happened and you think we’re just going to sit back and wait for that bastard to get another shot at you! The hell, Izzie!” the younger sister replied incredulously. God, she knew that if someone took a shot at her, Isabel would just need a name and that person would be dead before the hour was up. She did not think it was fair that she was being scolded for something that she knew Isabel would have done if the roles were reversed.

“I fucking expected you to wait for me, so I could hit the bastard myself!” Isabel replied through gritted teeth.

“Well, you were too fucking slow! Stop bitching about shit that happened in the past! It’s done and over with now,” Ellie pointed out, which earned her quite the heart-stopping glare from the taller woman. Ellie did not even flinch from the stare that would have sent a lesser soul running in the opposite direction.

“She’s got you there,” Kat remarked with a chuckle.

“I can’t drop everything like you two fucking clowns. I had two damn babies to take care of,” Isabel huffed, snorting through her nose like a mad bull.

“And whose fault is that?” her sister teased. 

Isabel pointed at her. “I would so fucking kill you right now if I didn’t have to go pick up both of those babies.” She decided to take her leave and everyone in the room exhaled.

“We were this close to fucking dying!” Kat wailed, showing Ellie her thumb and forefinger, which were practically touching. She looked liked she was ready to bawl while Ellie frowned deeply.

Ellie slapped the younger woman in the side. “And it was your fault! You knew she would react like that!”

“Stop kidding around, you two,” William huffed. He was not in the mood for their shenanigans.

“Who’s kidding?! You guys don’t know Izzie! You think you do, but you don’t,” Kat pointed out.

Ellie actually laughed while regarding the two men in the room. “You guys really don’t know what kind of foxes you let in your little hen house.”

Ellie and Kat decided to take their leave. They were happy that all Isabel did was yell at them about leaving her to go deal with Draco and his goons. They really could not help it, though. Just the idea of someone shooting at one of their own, they wished that they could go kick his ass again.

“You know, this is starting to get boring to me already,” Kat commented as they stepped on the elevator.

“Boring or scary?” Ellie inquired with an arched eyebrow. She was clearly teasing because it looked like she was about to burst into a fit of laughter. Kat chuckled a bit and shrugged.

“You know it’s not the first time Izzie’s had guns pulled on her, so I don’t see why I would be scared. It’s a good thing she’s got quick reflexes, though. I mean, I know had that been me, I’d have gotten shot,” Kat replied with a laugh.

Ellie rolled her eyes, biting back a comment about Kat being able to do damn near anything Isabel could do. The thing she ever wanted to do was compliment the sisters; their egos did not need to be any bigger, in her opinion. “Then what’s the problem?”

“Maybe I just don’t like the guys we’re working for.”

“You’re growing morals?” Ellie asked incredulously.

“Not dislike for what they do, although I have to admit now that I have a kitten, I am a little more concerned about the shit that one does on the streets. My real problem is these pricks think they’re controlling us or that they’re immortal or some shit. I don’t know,” Kat answered with a shrug. She was not totally sure what was going on with her, but she was sure that given a little more time, she would be able to figure it out.

“We did get some good practice in,” Ellie said as they stepped off of the elevator.

“Basically what we signed up for. Can’t play with our toys forever, though,” Kat retorted.

“You’re starting to sound way too much like your mother.”

“Well, when I start sounding like _your_ mother, we’ll know I have a problem.”

“When you start sounding like my mother, I’m kicking your head off of your shoulders and shoving it up your butt,” Ellie stated.

“Just to live out a fantasy,” Kat remarked with a chuckle.

The brunette could not help laughing at that. The pair exited the building and they caught sight of the two babies that Isabel referred to taking care of. There was a park across the street and Cassandra was waiting for her mother. Jasmine Gent was acting as babysitter. Isabel was with them now.

Kat watched her sister with Jasmine, watched them speaking each other about what—Kat could not hear. Jasmine was friendly; Kat met her a few times and knew that. In fact, Kat liked Jasmine quite a bit, mostly due to the fact that Jasmine had no problem with teasing Isabel. Watching them from a distance made her laugh because she could tell from Isabel’s posture that Jasmine was teasing her.

“Don’t even think about it,” Ellie warned the young blonde.

“What?” Kat asked with an innocent smile.

“You know you want to go over there and start trouble. Right now, Isabel is way too pissed at us for us to go over there. So, no, you’re not going to play with Jasmine and get Isabel all flustered,” Ellie answered soundly.

“You’re no fun,” Kat pouted.

Ellie just scoffed and grabbed the blonde by the arm. She pulled Kat away, leaving Isabel with Jasmine and Cassandra. Isabel watched her two partners-in-crime as they walked off. She was very glad to see them go for the moment.

“Isabel,” Jasmine said while taking Cassandra by the hand. Cassandra frowned at the action, but she knew from experience that if she tried to pull away, Jasmine would just keep at it until she caved. Jasmine seemed to think that anyone under the age of twenty should be forced to hold hands with a legal adult to travel down the street.

“What?” Isabel asked as they started walking on their way. She noticed her daughter, looking up and glaring at her, silently ordering her mother to get the crazy lady off of her. Isabel rolled her eyes, signaling that her daughter needed to learn to handle her own messes.

“I was thinking maybe I could cook dinner for you,” Jasmine proposed with a bright smile. She wanted to show off to Isabel.

“We could just go out,” Isabel said. She wanted to add, “You know, like on a normal date,” but she had a feeling that was not going to go over well. Plus, she would have to answer questions from her curious little daughter.

Jasmine shook her head. “I would rather stay in,” she insisted.

Isabel nodded while looking ahead. She knew that Jasmine was still a bit shaken up over the assassination attempt, which occurred only a few days. Jasmine had not even been happy with standing in the park with Cassandra, especially when Isabel joked that Cassandra would protect her from any people that might try to attack her. She only agreed to stay in the park after some guards positioned themselves all around the place. If Cassandra noticed the odd situation, she did not say anything about it.

Jasmine smiled; why she did so, Isabel could not figure out. They took the train home upon Jasmine’s insistence. Cassandra just kept looking at her mother.

“Damn it, yes, Cassie, Jasmine is in-fucking-sane,” Isabel stated, sick of getting questioning looks.

Cassandra nodded; she had figured as much. Jasmine playfully shoved Isabel because of her words. Isabel rolled her eyes; what? It was not like she was lying. They all watched people get on and off the train during the ride. Isabel suspected that Cassandra was picking up her people-watching habits because the child often just observed people wherever they were.

They wordlessly got off of the train and went to the apartment. Jasmine was given reign over the kitchen while Isabel went to spar with Cassandra. They had a pretty quiet night, fighting, eating, watching a little television, and then Cassandra was off to bed. Isabel did the dishes while Jasmine hung around in the kitchen.

“Am I allowed to stay the night?” Jasmine asked curiously with a seductive, half-smirk on her face.

“So, we can carry on in my house and in front of my daughter, but not outside where someone might see?” Isabel countered in a neutral tone. This was something that she needed to get out in the open right now. No use carrying on a sham for however long what this was that they had going on was going on.

Jasmine sighed while looking away. She ran a shaky hand through her long hair. “You know, my father would kill you if he knew you were with me.”

“How am I ‘with’ you?” the older woman asked with an arched eyebrow, looking quite curious, but she was still speaking in a plain tone.

“Aren’t we in a relationship…or was it just sex to you?” Jasmine inquired, forehead wrinkled from worry.

“I can take either or, believe it or not. This is on you. I know you more than likely don’t want Daddy-dearest to know we got tangled in my sheets. If we do this ‘relationship’ thing, is it only when we’re here or some place dark where no one will see?”

“Does that offend you?” 

“That you’re in the closet? No. With your father, I suppose I understand as I doubt he would approve of your lifestyle,” the older woman commented.

Jasmine smiled a little; it was a sorrowful expression. “No, he wouldn’t. I’ve heard him talking about ‘queers’ and such. I figure I’m hiding in the closet until his funeral.”

Isabel shrugged indifferently. “That’s your choice.”

Jasmine’s face shifted as she went through a few emotions in a matter of seconds. First, she appeared furious, upset that Isabel was more than likely quietly judging her, calling her a coward. Secondly, she looked like she wanted to cry over having a father that would probably disown her if he knew who she liked to take to bed. Lastly, she looked wounded because Isabel did not seem to understand her when she thought that the martial artist would.

“Wouldn’t your mother care that you’re dating a woman?” Jasmine asked in almost an accusing tone, trying to take some of the heat off of her.

“If you’re human, that’s good enough for her. She doesn’t give a shit about who I take to bed and never has,” Isabel answered easily.

The younger woman was silent for a while, not expecting that answer. She then absently nodded. “You’re lucky.”

“The grass is always greener,” Isabel muttered, but then again, she was pretty sure that she would not trade her mother in for another…no matter how often the woman got on her last nerve.

The conversation was dropped now that they covered two major issues, even though Jasmine was still not sure if she was being allowed to stay the night. Isabel went to do her own workout when she was done with the dishes while Jasmine made herself at home on the sofa, watching television. A few hours later, Jasmine brought up the unanswered question again.

“Am I allowed to stay the night?” the younger woman asked and then to avoid looking as desperate as she was starting to feel, she added with a smirk, “Or do I have to pay a fee?”

Isabel rolled her eyes. “I’ll take an ounce of blood and a pound of flesh. No credit cards, though.”

Jasmine stuck her tongue out at the martial artist. Isabel then disappeared downstairs, taking a shower and going through her nightly ritual before heading into her bedroom. She was not surprised to see Jasmine lying in her bed and she was willing to bet that the college student was wearing her clothes too.

“You never said I couldn’t,” Jasmine remarked with a smart-aleck smirk on her face.

“Can’t call you a liar on that,” Isabel replied while sliding into bed.

Jasmine nodded a little, pleased to see that being forward with Isabel worked. She did not totally understand Isabel, but she was starting to figure out that in certain areas of life Isabel was rather passive—as strange as that might sound. She did not mind that for the moment since it meant that she could be the aggressor in their blossoming relationship.

“Isabel, are you really as nonchalant as you pretend to be?” Jasmine asked curiously while curling into the taller woman.

“If I was, then it would not be pretending, so therefore your question is ridiculous,” Isabel answered, putting an arm around Jasmine’s waist, trying not to think about the last time she shared her bed with someone.

The younger woman laughed a little. “I guess you make a point. Do you have a smartass answer for everything?”

“Not everything.”

Jasmine scoffed and then made herself busy by placing light kisses on Isabel’s cheek, neck, and shoulder, which were bare since she was wearing a tank top to bed. The pale woman groaned slightly from the attention. Once again, she tried not to think about the last time that she had someone in her bed other than Jasmine. She just wanted to focus on Jasmine.

Isabel turned a little and leaned down to give Jasmine a proper kiss, leaving the younger woman breathless. Isabel almost laughed at the dopey expression that Jasmine was wearing as they broke apart. She tightened her grip on the hazel-eyed female while shifting their positions, coming to rest on her back and having Jasmine on top of her.

“You’re conceding the top?” Jasmine asked with a teasing smile.

“Give me a reason to keep you around,” Isabel remarked, a smirk of her own gracing her features.

The younger woman grinned—almost beaming—before attacking Isabel. The martial artist nearly laughed as her tank top was ripped off, but she was pretty sure that would be inappropriate. The next thing she knew, her bare chest was being showered in feather light kisses. When was the last time anyone had taken such time with her? She bit back a moan while banishing the thoughts from her mind.

The night that she shared with Jasmine before, she had actually taken control of the whole situation. Now, she wanted to see what Jasmine would do, how would Jasmine make her feel? Would Jasmine make the questioning voice in her head shut up?

Jasmine did earn a deep moan as she attached herself, hand and mouth, to Isabel’s breasts. The brown-haired woman smiled like the cat that ate the canary against pale flesh, purring as she brought jolts of pleasure to the proud woman beneath her. She upped her efforts, earning more and louder moans. Jasmine had to look up eventually and she locked eyes with her bodyguard.

“You know, if I didn’t know better, I think you’re enjoying this,” Jasmine remarked with a teasing smirk.

“You talk a lot for someone that pretends to be such a big player,” Isabel replied. “You should be doing other things with that mouth yours.”

“I’ll show you what I can do with this mouth,” the younger woman boasted. “You just lay back and enjoy it.”

Isabel did not argue that and found that she enjoyed it quite a bit as Jasmine went back to work with her mouth and hands. Moans filled the room and Isabel busied her hands in Jasmine’s hair. Jasmine could not help smirking to herself, proud of what she was doing to such a strong-willed woman, especially when she could tell that Isabel was silently begging for more. 

-8-8-8-8-

Isabel stared at the dark ceiling of her bedroom, contemplating the secrets of the universe as far as she was concerned. The reason she considered her thoughts something like the secrets of the universe because they were so vast and out of the blue for her. She was not philosopher or deep thinker. She was a person of action and sometimes reaction, but now, she was suddenly thinking.

“And about what? About the last time someone’s paid me that kind of attention in bed? Hell, I can’t even remember the last time I slept with fucking Jason. Why can’t I just sit back and enjoy this?” Isabel asked herself.

She took a deep breath to calm herself down. She turned her attention to Jasmine, smiling just a bit because of the soft, contented expression on Jasmine’s sleeping face as she cuddled into a generous potion of Isabel’s breasts. Isabel thought about the things that Jasmine had been doing to those breasts not even a half-hour ago and her smile began to transform into something more scandalous than before.

Jasmine had done things with such purpose. Isabel jokingly thought to herself it was if Jasmine was applying for a job and going through a list of attributes that she had in order to get hired. Isabel could only wonder what position Jasmine was applying for, but if it was to Isabel’s girlfriend, then, damn it, she was hired. She had definitely impressed Isabel with her performance.

“Then why the hell do I keep thinking of Jason while I’m with her?” Isabel asked herself.

She tried to rationalize it to herself and considered that she might just keep thinking of Jason because he was all that she had known as far as relationships went since she was eighteen years old. That was a lot of time to devote to someone and now she was with a new someone. Was it normal to compare and contrast, especially when Jasmine and Jason were as different as night and day?

She decided to just go down a list and hoped that that action would ease her mind. As far as being around Jasmine and Jason, she preferred Jasmine’s company. Jasmine was witty and funny and knew how to take a joke. Jason was always so serious, which was fine for the right time, but he never seemed to loosen up. Isabel knew that she was serious a lot of the time too, but even she knew how to unwind a little.

As far as things in common, she actually had about as much in common with Jasmine as she did with Jason. The difference was that she and Jasmine could work around that. Jasmine did not beat her over the head with her interest, which Isabel believed Jason did. He always wanted to something that he liked, Isabel’s opinion be damned. So, that should be another strike against him.

One major issue was the way that Jasmine sort of got along with Cassandra. Yes, Cassandra thought that Jasmine was quite the oddball and really did not know what to make of the caramel-skinned woman, but Cassandra never resented her presence. The little girl never glared Jasmine down or tried to get into a contest of wills with her.

Jasmine actually seemed to enjoy being around Cassandra. She got a kick out of “little Izzie,” as she had heard Kat referring to the child. The same thing could not be said of Jason. Much of the time, Isabel wondered if Jason wished that she had gotten an abortion. She could not understand how he could look at Cassandra and think that, but the way he acted with her a lot of the time seriously tore at Isabel’s insides. She wondered why he just could not be a father to their daughter? Was it so hard?

Isabel shook that thought away, knowing where that road would lead her. She decided to move onto the next thing between Jason and Jasmine. She figured that she would settle on sex next. She was not too sure it was fair of her to compare since it had been quite a while since she was last with Jason. Still, she pressed on.

Being with Jasmine was what Isabel thought that sex should be. Passionate, connecting, and leaving her wanting more. Jasmine did all of that. She also thought that sex should lead to her wanting to cuddle up into her lover, which she did want to do with Jasmine, but she did enjoy snuggling into Jason. Really, the problem with Jason was that he was always trying to pretend to be the perfect gentleman, so there were times that he could not muster up the passion. Hell, sometimes, she thought that he did not even want to be with her. Jason also was not a big believer in foreplay, which was a strike against him again.

There was one thing that she could put in Jason’s favor was that she was certain that he liked being with her. Now, she was not sure if it was love as he seemed to think it was, but there had to be something inside of him that kept him putting up with her for as long as he did. Whatever that something was, she figured it was gone since she had not heard from him in so long.

She was not too sure about how Jasmine felt about her. She was sure that they could be friends, but as far as their “relationship” went she was not totally sure if she was willing to say that Jasmine liked her. Yes, she thought that Jasmine liked her enough to where they could be friends and possibly fuck-buddies, but she was not so quick to say that they would be able to have a real relationship. But, she reminded herself, their “relationship” was still young. There was no reason to judge it or condemn it yet.

Isabel sighed, not sure if her list was enough to shut up the voice in the back of her head. She glanced down at Jasmine again as the younger woman started moving against her, adjusting her position. Jasmine pushed herself further up Isabel’s body, so now she was resting against Isabel’s shoulder. Isabel caressed Jasmine’s lower back and pressed the younger woman to her.

“I think I’ll see where this is going. It might work,” Isabel told herself. Besides, it was time to move on, she told herself.

The street fighter drifted off into a peaceful sleep. In the morning, Isabel was introduced to a new greeting. She was taken from her slumber by soft kisses floating up and down her side. She smiled and wiggled a little, which only seemed to encourage the onslaught. She opened her eyes to see a lump in the sheets by her chest; she decided make a further inspection. She tossed the sheets back to find Jasmine, who seemed to be trying to leave a hickey on Isabel’s abdomen.

The pale woman smiled and Jasmine looked up to see. The expression beaconed Jasmine to move back up to Isabel’s lips and placed a heated kiss to a very willing and eager mouth. It did not take more than a few moments before mouths parted and happy tongues greeted each other for a morning duel. A few more seconds and a hand ventured out to remind a certain cream-colored mound of its existence. Small moans started to fill the air as body temperatures rose.

“Mommy!” Cassandra shouted as she burst into the room.

Jasmine practically vanished, hiding her nude form behind an equally naked Isabel. The emerald-eyed woman did not bother to move aside from turning to face her daughter. Isabel’s face was calm as was Cassandra’s. Just looking at their expressions, no one would have guessed that the mother was completely nude in front of her daughter.

“What’s up, firefly?” Isabel asked curiously. 

“Mommy, you’ve got to get the cereal. You put it on the high shelf again,” Cassandra answered, pointing behind her as if that would explain matters more thoroughly.

“I wouldn’t do that if you didn’t keep trying to sneak cereal after bedtime. Throw me those clothes over there,” Isabel instructed the child, nodding toward a small pile of cloth in the middle of the room.

Cassandra moved quickly and retrieved the gear. She tossed the garments at her mother, who swiftly put the shirt on. She was about to get up to put the shorts on, but Jasmine held her in place. She glanced behind her and noticed that Jasmine was practically cowering behind her.

“Uh…Cass, I’ll meet you upstairs,” Isabel said.

Cassandra scrunched up her face a bit from confusion, but she did not question the unspoken order to leave. She wondered if the command had anything to do with Jasmine trying to use her mother as a shield. She charged out of the room, bolting upstairs.

“I can’t believe that just happened! Do you think we scarred her for life?” Jasmine begged to know.

“I doubt it. It’s not the first time she’s seen me naked,” Isabel answered. She was fairly sure it was the first time that Cassandra had walked in on an almost intimate moment, but she did not seem to know that.

“That’s another thing! How could you just sit there and be naked in front of her?!” Jasmine inquired in sheer shock. She could not imagine her mother doing anything like that and she was fairly certain that she would like to pluck her eyes out if she ever did see her mother naked.

“Modesty isn’t really in our vocabulary. I come from a family with four aggressive women and one bathroom. In our most stubborn moments, we were known to shower together just to spite the other person. Besides, sometimes I take baths with Cassandra. The human form isn’t something to be ashamed of, especially if it looks like mine,” Isabel remarked.

“But, you’re not worried…?” Jasmine asked, although she was not sure what there was to worry about.

“About what? Okay, she sees my body. She might be a little curious and ask questions and I’ll answer them. It’s really that simple,” the pale woman answered with a shrug.

Jasmine could not really argue that because she could not see what else might happen if Cassandra saw Isabel naked. She yelped as Isabel moved off of the bed and then she dived underneath the sheets, as if she was frightened that Cassandra might walk in again.

“You know you’re being silly, right? If she comes in, she’s not gong to care that you’re naked,” Isabel pointed out.

“Yeah, well, I see you put clothes on to walk upstairs,” Jasmine countered.

“Common courtesy, like saying hello in the morning.”

Jasmine just stuck her tongue out at Isabel. The taller woman rolled her eyes and exited the room, leaving Jasmine to take in just how weird Isabel and Cassandra truly were. She could not believe Isabel just sat there like she was not completely and totally naked! Not to mention, they almost got busted!

After a few minutes of being embarrassed, Jasmine figured that it was time to face the music. She threw on her pajamas, which were actually Isabel’s pajamas, and marched upstairs, feeling more sheepish than before because she was so obviously wearing Isabel’s clothing. What would Cassandra think of her?

Upon reaching upstairs, she saw that Cassandra was eating a bowl of cereal, plain corn flakes with banana and strawberry slices sharing the bowl. She was watching cartoons on the living room floor while Isabel was eating a banana and sitting on the couch. Jasmine made her way to the sofa and stood there for a moment, contemplating where she should sit.

Isabel watched Jasmine, knowing what was going through her mind. The street fighter could not help laughing, which caused her guest to scowl. Cassandra glanced over at her mother, glaring at the woman for laughing over the show. Isabel waved her cranky daughter off.

“You know you won’t scar her for life if you sit next to me,” Isabel pointed out after a few seconds; Jasmine’s indecision was bordering on stupidity.

Jasmine sighed and just flopped down on the couch, far from Isabel because now she wanted to appear upset with the taller female. She went so far as to fold her arms across her chest and not look at the pale woman at all. Isabel rolled her eyes and put her long legs on Jasmine’s lap as she finished up her banana. Jasmine did not even make an indignant noise, not wanting to give Isabel the satisfaction of getting to her.

“Boo-boo, throw this out when you get up,” Isabel ordered as she flung the peel at her daughter, who caught the mess effortlessly.

“Mommy, you’re being a lazy ass,” Cassandra pointed out, which earned her a nasty look from her mother. Cassandra just returned the expression. “My teacher says it’s immature to make faces.”

“Which is why you did it right back to me, eh, smart guy?” Isabel remarked with a teasing smile.

“You’re the adult. You should know better,” the child countered with a smile of her own.

Isabel waved the girl off, not up to debating with someone who was barely four feet tall. Cassandra turned her attention back to her cereal and finished the last bits of it. She got up to put her bowl in the sink and tossed away her mother’s banana peel. When she returned to the living room, she noticed her mother teasing Jasmine in a low tone; she knew that Isabel was teasing the younger woman because she was poking Jasmine with her big toe since the college student was still on the other end of the couch.

“Mommy,” Cassandra said as she sat back down in her space. She felt it was free to talk because commercials were still on.

“Yes, firefly?” Isabel asked while continuing to bother Jasmine with her rather immature antics.

“Is Jasmine gonna stay here more?” Cassandra inquired curiously.

Jasmine’s eyes lit up and she quickly got over her annoyance with Isabel. She turned her attention to the martial artist, wondering what she would see in those emerald eyes. Isabel kept her composure, not seeming bothered by the subject at all.

“Well, firefly, that’s really up to her. I don’t mind her company. Do you?” Isabel countered.

Cassandra shrugged and then her show was back on, so she did not really answer. Jasmine grinned like the cat that ate the canary and made it seem like tides had turned in her favor. Isabel did not appear quite as impressed.

“So, it’s my choice to stay here or not?” Jasmine asked in a purr as she crawled over to Isabel. It would seem that she would over her embarrassment.

“I don’t really give a damn,” Isabel answered, shrugging much like her daughter just did moments before.

“Geez, Isabel, way to make a girl feel wanted!” Jasmine huffed, pretending to be angry, but the smirk on her face just would not leave. She did hit Isabel, slapping the fighter lightly in the am.

“You are wanted…” Isabel said and then an evil smile crept onto her onto her face. “…For the moment anyway,” she quickly added and before Jasmine could object to that, Isabel captured her soft lips with her mouth.

Jasmine was caught by surprise, but it was a very pleasant surprise until she remembered Cassandra. She yelped and pulled away from those wonderful lips and mustered up enough wits to glare at Isabel. The ebony-haired fighter had the nerve to smile in a way that would have made an angel jealous.

“How could you do that with Cassie right there?” Jasmine hissed while trying to fight down the blush staining her cheeks.

“What? You’re worried about her seeing us kiss? The little bug doesn’t care, do you, firefly?” Isabel asked.

Cassandra shrugged. “It’s Mommy’s business,” she answered. 

Isabel smiled; Cassandra was right and she picked up on things so well. She considered that she might get Cassandra to explain the concept to Kat at some point, so Kat could stop trying to get into her business. She turned back to Jasmine, smiling all the way.

“Cassie doesn’t care. So, there’s no excuse for you,” Isabel pointed out. 

“Cassie, do you really not care?” Jasmine asked, concern deep in her voice and in her eyes.

“Should I?” Cassandra countered, scratching the top of her head while furrowing her brow.

“I guess not. Do you understand what’s going on?” Jasmine asked. She considered that Cassandra might not have an opinion just because she did not know any better.

“Maybe. You’re like Mommy’s girlfriend or something,” Cassandra answered. She guessed that was what the term was. She had not heard it much from her family considering only her aunt Kat dated, but in school, kids talked about boyfriend and girlfriend junk all the time.

Jasmine’s eyebrows shot up on her forehead. Apparently, she had not been expecting her to give a blunt and honest answer. Isabel smirked at her as if saying, “I told you so.”

“All right, you win, you smartass. Happy?” Jasmine huffed, folding her arms across her chest.

“I should say so. The firefly just made us official. You’re like my girlfriend or something,” Isabel remarked with a slight laugh.

Jasmine frowned and snorted. Isabel ignored those things and put her arms around Jasmine. She pulled the younger woman back to her and they watched television with Cassandra, bugging the hell out of the child by asking what she thought to be “stupid questions” about characters in the show. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Jason comes back into the story and Isabel has a decision to make.


	26. Scratch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Still shows two women in a relationship. If that’s not your thing, keep it moving for now.

Chapter 26: Scratch 

Isabel was lying on her sofa with Jasmine lounging on her. They were both sleeping, peaceful breaths quietly escaping both of them. Cassandra was knocked out on the floor and equally asleep. Cassandra groaned and her eyes fluttered open. She realized that she did not want to be on the floor anymore; it was too hard and cold. She yawned and rubbed on eyes as she stood up. She marched over to the couch and crawled on.

Without waking completely up, Isabel and Jasmine made space for Cassandra by moving over. Cassandra ended up partially on Isabel, Jasmine, and the couch. Jasmine wrapped her arm around the child to make sure that she did not fall off of the sofa. Cassandra sighed as she cuddled up into Jasmine.

It was becoming a normal occurrence for them to end up curled up together. It was weird to Cassandra at first because she was not used to snuggling like they were. Sure, she and her mother had no problem being physical, but it was rarely soft or affectionate touching like now. She would not say it out loud, but she liked it and she suspected her mother did too. After all, her mother was allowing it to happen.

Isabel allowed quite a bit when it came to Jasmine, the child noticed. There were hugs and kisses, which Cassandra was not used to seeing at all when it came to her mother. Now, Cassandra knew from experience that her mother would hug and kiss, but her only experience really came from when she used to openly allow her mother to hug and kiss her. Other than that, she was not sure if her mother had ever hugged or kissed a person in her life. Yes, that even included Jason because Cassandra could not remember the last time that she even saw her father, let alone saw him be affectionate with her mother.

She honestly rarely thought about the man at all. Her mother did not mention him anymore. He did not call. She did not know where he was and the child hoped that things stayed that way. 

-8-8-8-8-

Jason sighed as he tried to concentrate on his computer screen, but he was having a hard time thanks to the loud conversation a few feet away. He was at work; he was employed in his father’s business, which basically rented things for all sorts of events and occasions. There were small divisions in the one floor office space and each division rented different items; Jason was in the sporting good section where they rented out everything from jet skis to basketball courts.

“Yeah, so, your wife had the baby last night?” one fellow asked another. Jason could not believe that two grown men were having such a conversation; it seemed like something that only women did in his opinion.

“Yeah! The most beautiful baby girl you ever will see!” the second man boasted and it was easy to hear in his voice that he was grinning from ear to ear. He sounded so proud, like he had done the greatest thing in the world by having a baby girl.

“I’d ask if you got pictures, but I know the answer to that. You’ve only been begging for a little girl since you heard you knocked the woman up,” the first guy teased.

“Got my little girl too! She’s the most adorable little thing you ever will see.”

Jason guessed from the brief moment of silence that the new proud father was whipping out pictures of his baby girl. Jason rolled his eyes while wondering what the hell kind of man would want a baby to be a daughter? He poked his head out of his cubicle just to make sure and he found the two men a couple of yards away. And, yes indeed, the new father was flashing pictures of his daughter.

Jason could not see the pictures, but he could see the look of joy on the man’s face. He knew that he did not look like that when Cassandra was born. He did not flash any pictures of his baby girl to any of his friends or teammates ever. Hell, he did not even own any pictures of Cassandra taken on his own. If Isabel did not send him pictures of their daughter, he would not own any pictures.

“Was I ever this happy to hold Cassandra?” Jason wondered while taking in the proud papa’s expression.

Mostly, his memories were full of struggles with Cassandra. He recalled battling with her for Isabel’s attention and affection; he was usually on the losing side. He remembered her disobeying anything that he said, even if it was obviously for her own safety. He recollected her being a horribly spoiled little brat…a brat that he had not seen in months.

“Has it really been that long?” Jason asked himself. His face shifted from an annoyed expression to one of baffled tension. His brow furrowed slightly and his mouth turned upward.

He tried to remember the last time that he saw his daughter and nothing was really coming to mind. He had not spoken to her since the last time he saw her because he never made an effort to call her or Isabel. They never made an effort to call him as far as he knew, so he figured that he might as well return the favor.

“It’s not like they care. I might as well be dead to them,” he grumbled to himself, pouting like an upset child.

He ran a frustrated hand through his hair; for some reason that he could not figure out, he was bothered. It troubled him to hear that proud father gushing over having a baby girl, wanting a baby girl. The guy was still going a few minutes later, wandering the office, showing everyone his pride and joy.

“Why don’t I feel that way about Cassie?” Jason wondered, feeling and looking very confused. He knew instinctively that he was the one that was wrong, not his coworker for being happy to have had a daughter.

He did not have any answers, but the more his coworker flashed pictures, the more Jason felt like the world’s biggest ass. That was helped when his coworker came over to him and started showing the pictures.

“Now, Jason, I know you probably don’t give a damn or anything. I mean, a young guy like you probably doesn’t even have a steady girlfriend, so I know you don’t have any kids. But, you just have to see my baby girl,” the man said and he started going through the thick pile of photos that he was holding.

Jason did not hesitate to look down at the pictures to see a perfect little girl with cocoa skin resting in a grinning father’s arms. The baby was sleeping, but that certainly did not stop her from being the star of several following photos; most of those co-starred the happy poppa. Jason knew that he never looked like that holding Cassandra and that just churned up his insides in a way that he never felt before. Something was wrong, he thought; and that something was him.

“Let me ask you a question,” Jason said after he finished going through the photos. He turned his attention to the older male, who he knew was pretty much a “manly” man. A manly man that was overjoyed to have a daughter…Jason could not understand it.

“Sure,” his coworker answered as he started putting his pictures away since he already hit everyone in his division. Now, the rest of the building was left.

“What made you want a little girl? You got boys or something already?” Jason inquired.

“Nope. Actually, this is my third little girl. I thought most people around here knew that since I’m always flashing pictures of the little beauty queens. I’m not sure why, but I always want a daughter. I wouldn’t mind having a son, of course, but I’m very happy to see my little girls show up. I can’t really explain it, but I very much enjoy having daughters,” he answered as best he could.

Jason pondered that for a moment. He was not sure what possessed him to ask the next question, but it did make it out of his mouth. “You never felt like you don’t want a daughter because you don’t know what to do with her?”

His coworker chuckled, as if that was a good joke. “Hell, I never know what do with my girls after they reach a certain age, but I damn sure never feel like I don’t want them. I love them, even when they drive me crazy. They’re kids, they’re going to make you nuts most of the time. You just push through it. You’ll see when you’re a father. You’ll know just what I mean,” the coworker stated and then he spotted someone who had not seen his adorable baby girl yet, so he rushed after them with the pictures in his hand.

Jason sighed; he felt worse now. Why was it he could not feel the same excitement about Cassandra? He wondered if Isabel’s excitement was something like his coworker’s. She was not one to show her excitement so easily outward, he knew that, but she did show signs of being ready to blow a gasket when their daughter was born, and beyond that. And he had not returned a fraction of that excitement, he realized.

He considered how he would feel if he was excited about something and Isabel showed indifference to it, at best; after all, she could show annoyance or anger toward it, which would make things worse. She had a way of deflating a lot of things for him or pissing him off, like when she stopped going to his football games. Damn it, she missed his whole last season, he recalled with his disdain hardening his face. And then he remembered why she started missing his games.

“She wanted to take care of the baby…” he muttered to himself. He put his head down while shaking it slightly.

Isabel had picked Cassandra over him, Jason remembered. His mind then asked him a strange question: why did he think that Isabel picked the baby over him? Would he feel the same way if Cassandra had been born a boy and Isabel still gushed over the child? He was not sure, but he was leaning toward “no.”

Jason suddenly found himself reaching for his phone. He was not sure what he was doing, but he had the urge to speak with Isabel. He dialed her number from memory and waited patiently for an answer. It only took two rings for someone to pick up and it was not a voice that he recognized.

“Isabel’s madhouse, an escapee speaking,” Jasmine joked. Cassandra was standing next to her, trying to hold back snickers from the weird way that Jasmine answered the phone.

“Uh…” Jason hesitated for a moment. “Where’s Isabel?” he blurted out rather rudely.

“Isabel stepped out for a moment. She should be back in ten minutes. May I ask who’s calling?” Jasmine countered.

“Jason. Could you just tell her that Jason called?” he requested and then he was about to hang up, but he stopped. “Who is this?” he inquired…well, really demanded. He could tell it was not Kat or Ellie, so he could not help wondering who was so familiar with Isabel to be left alone in her home and allowed to touch the phone. It had taken him a long time to gain such a privilege with her.

“I don’t think that’s how this works,” Jasmine teased. “Besides, I told you, I’m an escapee from Isabel’s madhouse.”

Jason growled. “Isabel isn’t going to like that you’re playing on her phone.”

“Well, I have to say the mini-version of her is getting a kick out of it. I’ll let her know you called,” Jasmine stated and then she hung up the phone before Jason could utter another phrase.

“Who was that?” Cassandra asked curiously.

“Some guy named Jason.” Jasmine shrugged; the name held no value to her.

Cassandra immediately frowned at the mention of his name; her face hardened and she looked nothing like a little kid from the stone-cold stare in her eyes. She wondered what the hell he wanted, calling the house and apparently wanting to speak to her mother. She thought that Jason was gone forever and Jasmine was his replacement.

“Come on, kiddo, let’s eat lunch before your mother comes back and hits me with a pot for not feeding you,” Jasmine remarked.

Cassandra followed Jasmine into the kitchen and they had a quiet lunch. They were watching cartoons by the time Isabel returned. Isabel joined them on the sofa, flopping down next to Jasmine. Jasmine immediately curled into Isabel’s solid frame.

“Anything happen while I was out? I see my firefly hasn’t decided to kill you and hide the body yet,” Isabel remarked, speaking to her girlfriend.

“I think I’m safe from that until she can reach the higher shelves. She still needs me until then,” Jasmine quipped. “You did get a phone call while you were out. A rather rude man named Jason called.”

“Jason?” Isabel echoed and her body went stiff for a moment. Jasmine felt it since she was leaning on the street fighter.

“Who is he?” Jasmine asked curiously.

“He’s my bug’s father. I haven’t heard from him in a really long time,” Isabel answered, eyes focusing on the phone not too far away.

“What do you think he wants?” Jasmine asked, some worry creeping into her voice and in her eyes. She had not thought too much on Cassandra’s father since it did not seem like he was factor in things, but now that she knew he existed, she wondered what type of relationship he had with Isabel and if it was going to be a problem.

“I’m not too sure, but I’m certain it’s nothing to worry about. If it’s something important, he’ll call back.” Isabel shrugged. She had no desire to speak with Jason right now. She was trying to sort out her life and find what made her happy, not confuse herself further with his presence looming about.

“You’re not going to call him back?” Jasmine inquired with a slightly perplexed expression. Cassandra remained looking forward at the television, but she was quite anxious to hear the answer to that question.

“No, I’m not going to call him back. Right now, I just want to relax with you two,” Isabel answered and she kissed the top of Jasmine’s head. She then ruffled her daughter’s hair.

Both Jasmine and Cassandra smiled from that response. They all relaxed on the sofa and sent most of the night as they usually did. The only interruption of the night was the phone ringing. Cassandra rushed to the phone, wanting to see the caller ID and hopefully get her mother to not bother answering it if it was a certain man that she found extremely annoying. The child was not fast enough, though. Isabel grabbed the phone while her daughter growled at her.

“Yeah?” Isabel answered the phone, not really caring who it was on the other end.

“I called earlier. Where were you?” Jason demanded to know.

“The voice sounds familiar, but I can’t place the name or when the fuck you became my owner,” she replied with some bite.

“Same old Isabel. I don’t even know why I bothered to call.”

“That makes two of us. What the fuck did you call for?” she inquired in a short tone. He was certainly not making her miss him with his attitude. She could not believe that he had been on her mind lately considering the way that he was acting right now.

“Who was that woman that answered your phone earlier?”

Isabel paused for a moment and then let her mouth answer without any filter from her brain. “A friend. What’s it to you?” she countered.

“She was rude to me.”

“She says you were rude to her. I’m more inclined to believe her since I’ve seen how you can be.”

“Oh, so you’ll just believe some stranger over me?” he demanded to know.

“Didn’t I just say she’s my friend? That means I know her and you have a problem with your attitude. You’re fucking being rude right now. So, how about you tell me why the hell you called and we get over this? I haven’t heard from you in a long time and it seems like that was blessing,” she remarked in a hard tone.

“Oh, if that’s the case then maybe I’ll never call you again,” he snapped.

“Please, don’t fucking make me any promises you don’t plan to keep. Now, once again, why the hell did you call?”

Jason was ready to keep his little back and forth going with Isabel, but then he realized that he was not going to win by doing that. He was also not getting what he wanted by doing such a thing with her. He took a deep, calming breath before his next sentence.

“I was thinking about you earlier,” he admitted in a composed tone. “I just wanted to talk to you.”

The silence suggested that Isabel was stunned by that information. He smiled to himself, picturing her face all wide-eyed and slack-jawed. He decided that he was going to have to remember the moment and make sure that he remembered what he did.

“You just wanted to talk to me?” she echoed, sounding like she did not understand. She did not understand how he could act the way that he did and then have the nerve to say that he just wanted to talk to her.

“Yes. I was thinking about you and Cassie. So, what’ve you been up to?” he asked curiously. He was surprised to find out that he was seriously interested in not just her, but in Cassandra’s life too. He tried to remember the last time that he saw her or their daughter.

“You’re serious?” she inquired skeptically. She could not recall the last time he seemed to give a damn about her or their daughter, their daughter especially.

“Yes, I’m serious.” His clear, strong voice backed his words.

Isabel was quiet again. She glanced around, wondering if Cassandra or Jasmine was paying her any mind to take note of the change in her demeanor. Cassandra wandered out onto the balcony, undoubtedly beating up the heavy bag out there. Jasmine was in the kitchen, but Isabel did not have a good line of vision on her to know if her girlfriend had noticed her little slip.

“Still, what the hell do you want to talk about? You never wanted to just talk before,” Isabel pointed out. Back when they were a couple, she recalled that she was the one always calling him. She always wondered about that. She had convinced herself that she did not care much about him, but she was the one that was always reaching out when they were apart. Now, she was tired of reaching when she knew that she was only going to be jerked around.

“Like I said, I was thinking about you. I was wondering how you were doing. Maybe we could get together or something. I mean, you, me, and Cassandra, of course,” he proposed, hope sneaking into his voice. God, he realized at that moment that he missed her. He missed her and he missed his daughter.

“No, I can’t get together,” she answered, eyes drifting toward the kitchen. No way in hell was she going to fuck up a rather all right little relationship with Jasmine to go back to all of the anguish and suffering that Jason put her through.

“Why not?” he inquired, sounding shocked that she had turned him down. It was a rare day when she did not want to do something with him, especially if it involved him spending time with Cassandra.

“Jason, I’m going to be honest and blunt with you, like always. I’m seeing someone now. I’ve moved on from you. Cassie likes her and she treats the both of us well,” Isabel explained.

“She?” he echoed, now confused. Why did it sound like Isabel was dating a woman?

“Yes, she. I have a girlfriend. I like her and I like spending time with her. I’m not going to throw it all the fuck away because you missed me for one brief moment or had a daydream that made you think of me,” she informed him in a businesslike manner.

“But, you’re not gay…” he muttered.

“No, I’m not. I like who I like. That’s how I am and how I was raised. I like her and I would rather be with her. I appreciate you calling and thinking of me, but from now on when you call, it should be to speak with our bug and nothing more. I’ve moved on, Jason, and I suggest you do the same,” she said in a very calm and deliberate tone.

“You left me for a woman?” he asked. He was in a daze and could not even fathom being angry or upset. He was just bewildered. Since when did Isabel date women?

“Grow up, Jason, and move on.” Isabel disconnected the call on that.

The raven-haired Amazon knew that she did the right thing there, but there was still a part of her that wondered. Maybe she should have listened to Jason and heard him out. But, then what? Go back to the same thing with him, hating and loving him at the same time, watching him ignore their child, waiting for him to become a man instead of a spoiled brat? She did not have time for that, she mentally insisted. Still, part of her dared to wonder.

“I would ask if I should be worried,” Jasmine commented as she came up behind Isabel and embraced her. She carefully snuggled her face into Isabel’s powerful shoulder while being mindful of the two cups that she was carrying, both of which contained hot tea.

“I’m sure you heard the conversation. There’s nothing for you to worry about,” Isabel assured the younger woman.

Jasmine nodded into Isabel’s shoulder before inhaling her lover’s scent. Isabel removed the mugs from Jasmine’s hands and placed them down on the coffee table. She then turned to sit on the sofa. Jasmine wasted no time curling into the taller woman.

“You know, this was the first time I’ve heard anything about Cassie’s father since I’ve been with you,” Jasmine noted in a low voice.

“There’s nothing really to talk about. He wasn’t ready to have a child and it showed before the firefly was born. He didn’t adjust,” Isabel said bluntly.

“How long were you with him?” Jasmine asked curiously. 

“Too long.”

“Can I have numbers this time or do you want to just keep it a secret?” Jasmine teased, smiling a little. She ran her fingers up and down Isabel’s thigh as a way to coax the answer from her.

“I think I was with him from when I was eighteen until a few months ago, but I’m not sure if I would really count it like that. It’s complicated. I mean, our relationship was never really stellar, but after I had the bug and he moved out, things got really strange. We never officially broke up, but I think that we weren’t together then either,” Isabel tried to explain.

Jasmine nodded. “Sounds complex. Do you still have feelings for him?” she asked, now sounding shy and frightened.

“None. I feel nothing toward that man-child. No bitterness, no joy, nothing. I’m with you now and you’re who I want to be with. So, don’t worry about it,” the street fighter assured her girlfriend and helped ease Jasmine’s nerves with a kiss to her temple.

The caramel-skinned college student smiled. “You’re too sweet. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

“Good. Now, let’s have some of this tea you were kind enough to bring out,” Isabel said while leaning over to reach for the mugs. In her mind, she noted that Jasmine had made her tea more times in one day than Jason ever did during their whole relationship. She was certain that she had made the right decision by telling him to move on. 

-8-8-8-8-

Jason stared at his phone in a shocked and confused manner. He did not understand what just happened. It sounded like Isabel had pretty much dumped him and for a woman no less. It did not make any sense to his mind; Isabel was not gay. He had never seen her check out a girl before, but, then again, he had never caught her scoping out a guy either. For everything that they went through, looking back on it, he dared to think that Isabel only had eyes for him when they were together. This thought gave him some hope.

“She couldn’t be serious. I mean, she’s never gone after anyone before. She was with me and that was that, all the time. She was just joking or something like that,” he tried to assure himself. But, he knew that Isabel was not one to joke.

He considered that she might have just lied, but that was not her style. Isabel was blunt and honest to a fault. It was not like her to make something up, even if she was trying to get him to stay away from her. She said what was on her mind.

“So, is she really dating a woman? Does she really want me to move on?” Jason wondered.

As much as he reasoned that was exactly what she was telling him, he was also able to talk himself into believing that she was joking. He was not sure which side to believe. He wanted confirmation, but he was not sure where to get it. He was tempted to call Kat and ask, but he knew that she would say whatever she thought hurt him the most.

He considered calling friends of Isabel, but realized that they never moved in the same circles really. He was not sure who most of her friends were, aside for her sister and Ellie. He frowned and stared at the phone as if the object offended him.

“Do I really know so little about this woman? The woman I know I love? What the hell?” he asked himself. A minor headache was starting to pound at the front of his brain, making him grimace.

Isabel’s words started echoing through his mind: _grow up_. He liked to think that he had. He had a decent paying job. He was looking forward to getting his own home sometime soon. He felt like he was doing adult things, but listening to her tell him to grow up, he was starting to doubt himself.

“What did she mean by grow up? I am grown. Does she mean grow up and away from her? Was there something else to her words? Maybe I should call her back,” he considered because he just felt more and more confused with everything as he thought about what happened.

Isabel had not seemed completely hostile, he thought. She was willing to speak with him, so she might be willing to do so again if he called back. Maybe she would explain what she meant by grow up, he figured. He stared at his phone, something in the back of his mind telling him that he knew that she would only get upset if he asked her what she meant.

“She told me to grow up. I think this is something that I need to figure out on my own or I do have to let her go,” Jason said to himself.

Despite how cranky Isabel always was, something inside of his was not willing to part with her. He always felt like that, even when he put himself in self-imposed exile, cutting himself off from her. Still, something inside of him identified her as his love and even when they were apart, they did not feel apart to him. She was a part of him. She was under his skin and he liked her there. He was not willing to let that go, no matter how much in it itched to have her under his skin.

“This isn’t over, Iz. I just can’t let it be over,” Jason whispered in a determined voice and a hard look in his eye. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Isabel and Jasmine’s relationship hit a few bumps while Kat accidentally breaks into the movie business.


	27. You oughta be in pictures

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: the story still has two females in a relationship, so if that bothers you, skip this chapter too.

Chapter 27: You oughta be in pictures

Isabel rotated her shoulder as the last of her opponents dropped. She glanced over at her sister, who was standing about ten feet away in the darkened park, doing the same thing that Isabel was doing. The last of Kat’s enemies fell face-first into the dirt and sapphire eyes turned to emerald. Both gems seemed dulled.

“Remember when this was fun?” Kat asked in a low voice, eyes sweeping across the plane of fallen bodies.

Isabel nodded, slowly as if her head was on a string. “We made friends with all the fun people and can spar with them whenever we like, though. All that’s left to us if the fucking riff-raff.”

“Yeah, so now, this is just work,” Kat groaned. She said “work” as if it was a dirty word and it caused her to shudder.

“That it is. Well, I need to get home, make sure Cassie hasn’t strangled Jasmine yet,” Isabel remarked.

“Must be nice to have a live-in babysitter,” Kat commented with a wolfish grin.

“You should know. To be honest, I’m looking forward to when Jasmine finally goes back to school,” the elder sister admitted as they started making their way out of the park.

“Yeah? I thought you liked her,” Kat pointed out. She had not spend much time with Jasmine, but she had seen her enough to know her sister held some affection for the college student. And Jasmine was better than Jason, so that was a plus in her favor as far as Kat was concerned.

“I do. She’s beautiful, funny, smart, and great with Cass, as much as one can be great with the bug anyway, but…” she trailed off, knowing that her little sister would just read her mind for the rest.

“I guess she doesn’t realize you’re a creature that values personal space. Maybe she figures since she’s also part of your job, it’s fine for her to be around all the time. I mean, you are supposed to protect her,” the blonde stated in a rare moment of logic.

“I know, but to have someone always there, always…talking…” Isabel gritted her teeth and her face tensed for a moment. God, sometimes she just wanted to snap Jasmine’s neck for two minutes of quiet and time to herself!

“Okay, okay. So, you’re a little annoyed because you don’t want a live-in girlfriend, but it can’t be helped because it’s all a part of this shitty job that we have. I guess it will be good for you when she goes back to school. Do you think you’ll miss her?” Kat asked curiously, arching an eyebrow as the question left her mouth.

Isabel thought on it for a long moment. “I suppose. Shouldn’t one miss one’s girlfriend?” she countered, sounding almost unsure.

Kat snorted and then stuck her tongue out at her sister. “I’m not asking what should be done. I’m asking about you.”

“And I said I suppose. I can’t tell you how I feel before it happens.” A slight shrug followed the bland statement.

Kat shrugged too and rolled her eyes. “Usually you could. You don’t know how you feel about Jasmine.”

Isabel cut her younger sibling a glance. “I do know. I like her. Liking someone has never been the thing that made me go about missing someone. Constantly having her around, I’m sure it’ll feel strange when she’s gone. I’ll have to see if it’s a strange I prefer or if I actually rather her be around all the time.”

A blonde head nodded. “I guess you make a point. I think this would have been better if Jasmine wasn’t a job for you.”

Isabel nodded in agreement. She thought that she might be able to get used to Jasmine always being around; it was not as if Jasmine was the first extended guest that she had. Still, Jasmine’s constant presence was starting to work on her nerves ever so slightly and she was not the only one. 

-8-8-8-8-

Cassandra was practicing several katas that she knew; she planned to show off when her mother finally returned from work. She was in the living room and aware that someone was watching her from the kitchen. She ignored the eyes glued on her and just prayed that her audience did not speak…again.

“Cassie,” Jasmine chimed in after some seconds of silence. She hated the silence; it was like being alone.

Cassandra let loose a low growl. “Yes?” she replied, missing the days when her grandmother used to babysit her. Isabella knew that she did not have to be watched every second and Isabella could teach her new moves. Best of all, her grandmother was not always interrupting her with something.

“How about we watch a movie? It’s a nice night to watch a movie,” Jasmine stated with a smile that Cassandra could hear, but not see since her little back was to Jasmine.

“In a little while. I wanna finish,” Cassandra answered. A movie did not sound like such a bad idea, especially a movie with Jasmine since she cracked a lot of jokes. But, she did not want to watch a movie right this second and she had a feeling that Jasmine was not going to get that.

“C’mon, you could finish that later. Let’s watch the movie now,” Jasmine declared.

The caramel-skinned student made her way over to the television and grabbed a DVD that was nearby. She turned to Cassandra to flash her the movie only to find that Cassandra was not paying her any mind. Jasmine sighed and then frowned; she could not believe that she was being ignored so thoroughly by a child.

“But, then again, this is Isabel’s daughter we’re talking about,” Jasmine muttered to herself. Still, she wanted to watch a movie and she would like company while doing it. “C’mon, bug, you can do that later,” she said again and she walked over to pick Cassandra up.

The pale child wasted no time in dodging Jasmine while making sure not to miss a step in her kata. Jasmine frowned again and wondered why Cassandra was being so difficult. She just wanted to watch a movie and she did not want to do it alone. Was that so wrong?

“Cassandra,” Jasmine said in a stern tone that she rarely used with the child.

“Why do we always hafta to do everything you wanna do now?” Cassandra huffed, glaring at her babysitter in a way that made it seem like she was channeling Isabel at that very moment.

“But, you’re not doing anything, except practicing,” Jasmine pointed out with a huff of her own. The retort only seemed to sharpen the glare in those emerald eyes.

“I like practicing. Why can’t you do it by yourself?” Cassandra inquired, still staring at the older woman as if she was the one in charge. The child did not understand why Jasmine insisted on dragging her away just to watch a movie. It was easily something that the older woman could simply do on her own, so Cassandra figured that Jasmine should do it on her own.

“Because I want to watch it with you.” Jasmine tried to glare back, but it did not have the effect that she wanted.

“Then you should wait till I’m done,” Cassandra reasoned.

“But, you can practice anytime.”

“And the movie will be there when I’m done,” the child answered sharply. This was something that she stole from her mother. She hated when Isabel said it to her, but she was starting to understand why her mother would say it on occasion.

Jasmine flinched for a moment, knowing where Cassandra pulled that line from. She stopped and wondered why a child was speaking to her as if she was the child. Was she behaving like the spoiled brat Cassandra could sometimes be? She frowned again; wow, that had to be an unattractive quality.

“You’re right, kiddo. Sorry I was so pushy,” Jasmine apologized, sincerity clear in her voice and eyes.

Cassandra nodded her acceptance, but she did not very much buy the apology. She knew Jasmine rather well now; the college student had been around them for over three months. She would not be surprised for Jasmine to come back at her in ten minutes with the same crap; Jasmine had done it several times before. But, she would wait to see how things played out. It was not like she could stay mad at Jasmine forever.

Jasmine tossed herself onto the couch and tried watching television. She fidgeted, moving back and forth, changing positions several times to get comfortable. She glanced back at Cassandra on occasion, only to find that the little girl was not paying her any mind. A pout worked its way onto a caramel face without anyone noticing.

Time past and the pout grew, but disappeared when the sound of footfalls on the stairs hit caramel ears. Cassandra also perked up and they both turned to the stairs, waiting to see Isabel. Jasmine grinned while Cassandra almost smiled when Isabel hit the landing; Cassandra caught herself, making sure that her expression remained neutral.

Isabel’s face did not change when she saw her two favorite ladies. She greeted them with a little wave, which consisted moving two fingers. She went right to the kitchen, wanting to get something to eat.

“Mommy,” Cassandra said while trotting over into the kitchen. Jasmine shot off of the sofa to do the same.

“Isabel, how was everything?” Jasmine inquired, beating Cassandra to any conversation…or so she thought.

“Boring,” Isabel answered as she opened the fridge.

“So boring that it made you forget to give your girlfriend a kiss hello?” Jasmine asked with a purr as she leaned against the refrigerator.

Isabel glanced up at Jasmine and noticed the look of seduction dancing in those lovely eyes. The street fighter almost laughed at the uncharacteristic move of her girlfriend, acting all sexy with Cassandra in view. She guessed that it must have been a rough night.

“Mommy,” Cassandra said again, butting in before Isabel could respond to Jasmine.

“Yes, bug?” Isabel answered, not bothering to look at her daughter, which did not faze her child at all.

“I practiced some katas,” the girl stated.

“Okay.”

Cassandra walked away after that. Jasmine had seen these peculiar interactions between mother and daughter many times before. She knew that something had just happened, but she was not sure what it was. She was not sure if she would ever be able to figure out how the two worked, no matter how long she was with them or how much time she spent with them.

“So, how about that kiss?” Jasmine requested with a look not as seductive as it was a moment ago. In the back of her mind, she noted how she had been passed over for Cassandra.

Isabel allowed a small smile to grace her features, even though some thoughts were going through her mind. She noticed how Jasmine’s demeanor had changed every-so slightly. She decided to dismiss it all from her mind and she leaned down to give up the kiss that kept coming up in the conversation.

Jasmine grinned internally when she felt Isabel’s lips on hers. Finally something was going her way, Jasmine thought. After that, all thought left her mind and she just enjoyed the feel of Isabel’s deep kiss.

“You have a lethal weapon there, stud,” Jasmine remarked as Isabel pulled away from her.

“I am well aware of that fact,” Isabel countered with a proud glint in her eyes.

“I can tell. So, I’ve been real bored. I was hoping you would watch a movie with me.” Jasmine made sure to put on a pout with a wide-eyed expression, looking adorable and pathetic at the same time. Her girlfriend did not seem to notice.

“I will, but first I need to check these katas that Cass was doing. Left on her own, she’s bound to have screwed it up,” Isabel commented loud enough for her daughter to hear.

“Hey! I’m better than you were when you were my age!” Cassandra declared proudly.

“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, kid,” Isabel scoffed and rolled her eyes.

Jasmine laughed, despite the fact that she wished that she was first on Isabel’s list. She tried to be rational about it, but it still stung nonetheless. She just promised herself that she would not hold it against Isabel.

“I’ll watch her and then go take a shower. While I’m in the shower, you can get the movie started and maybe get some snacks,” Isabel suggested.

Jasmine nodded, but she did so while frowning. She hated making snacks; she was used to people doing that for her. She did not say anything about and Isabel did not address her expression. The pale woman made her way over to her daughter, who was standing by the balcony doors.

Isabel watched as Cassandra went through the routine that she had been practicing the whole night. Isabel corrected the child as she moved and for every correction Cassandra would start over. She went on like that until she preformed the whole kata perfectly.

“Isabel, are we watching this movie or what?” Jasmine inquired, impatience and annoyance seeping into her voice. She had been waiting for almost an hour, which she thought was just unacceptable.

“As soon as I take my shower,” Isabel answered, as if she did not hear any of the hostility coming her way from her girlfriend. “Firefly, I think you need to take one too.”

Cassandra nodded and the pair disappeared downstairs. Jasmine sighed and flopped down on the couch. She shook her head while frowning deeply.

“So, this is what it’s like to date a woman with kids,” she muttered. She had never been curious about it, but was making a simple observation. Her brain added to the observation that she really disliked being second in Isabel’s life.

She was able to put that out of her head when Isabel finally returned. They curled up on the sofa together as the movie started. A few minutes later, Cassandra joined them, pajamas sticking to her body, as she had yet to figure out the complete secrets of towels or how they worked. For a little while, there was some tension, but it faded as time went on. They had a quiet, uneventful evening that suited them all just fine. 

-*-(New day)-*-

Kat decided that she needed to go to the gym. She was going basically because it offered her a chance to spar with a lot of people and there were some pieces of equipment there to use that she and her mother did not have at home. There was only so much anyone can fit into a basement.

She went through a routine that she had, working out on the equipment first and then making her way into the hall with the boxing rings. She scanned the area, looking for just the right target. She grinned when she caught sight of just the person that she wanted to see.

“Cue!” she called from clear across the room.

Her voice carried well over the din of boxing gloves hitting bags and flesh, as well as grunts and groans of the people in the rings. On the far end of the room, a well-toned, tanned, thin young man with spiked ebony hair turned around. His deep brown eyes immediately locked onto Kat, thinking that she stood out in crowded room. She dashed over to him.

“How’s my favorite dry-cleaning cashier?” Kat remarked with a smile as she stood at the edge of the ring.

He smirked at her. He was, as far as most people knew anyway, a humble cashier at a dry-cleaner; he and his trusty side-kick/sister were both cashiers at a local dry-cleaners. But, a handful of people knew that he and his sister were also deadly martial artists and guards for one of the current kings of the underworld, Cougar Gent.

“Kat! Is Izzie with you? I wanted to show her this killer roundhouse I’ve been working on!” the young man declared while jumping up and doing a spinning kick high in the air. He had an impressively high vertical leap.

“I think Izzie is at home with her little girl for once. She doesn’t get much time to do that anymore. So, what’s going on, Cue? Haven’t seen you around much,” Kat said, resting her chin right on the canvas.

“I’ve been trying other things. I figured I can’t do this all my life, you know? I know nothing good ever happens to someone that stays in this game too long, gets in too deep,” he, Cue, replied with wisdom that some would think was beyond his years.

“You’re damn right about that. This shit is boring too. If it wasn’t for you and your sister and a few others, I would be so out of here by now. Speaking of your sister, where is the silent-but-deadly femme fatale?” the blonde asked while glancing on the other side of the ring, expecting to see the other half of the twin’s fierce duo. Instead of the quiet, dark-haired girl as usual, there was a giant of a man wrapping his hands on the other end of the ring.

“She’s sick. She got some kind of virus and you know that douche William gave her shit about it until she threw up on his nice five hundred dollar shoes,” Cue remarked with a light laugh.

“Why do I get the feeling it was intentional?” Kat commented with a laugh of her own.

“Well, I don’t know about vomiting, but I’m sure her aim was intentional. She’s been dealing with it for a few days now. I’m shocked Izzie didn’t tell you. I mean, she brought Tee soup a couple of times already,” Cue reported, folding his arms across his chest and looking up, as if he was puzzled by Isabel’s silence on the issue.

“Izzie doesn’t bring stuff up unless I know to ask about it. It’s her way of playing it cool. So, you about to kick this dude’s ass or what?” Kat inquired while nodding in the direction of the huge male in the ring.

“That’s the plan. He popped a lot of shit about tearing my head off after I walked into him,” Cue answered with a shrug.

“I’m guessing you weren’t wearing your glasses if you managed to walk into someone that big,” she joked, getting a chuckle out of herself.

Cue made a mocking face; he was a bit clumsy and Kat, as well as Isabel, never let him forget it. They did acknowledge that he was not clumsy in the one place it counted: fighting. It was his ability to battle and to learn that earned him the respect of the Han sisters.

“Spare with me after you kill him,” Kat requested with a bright smile.

Cue nodded and smiled back. “You know I will. I’ll show you my new kick from this angle and then let you get a close up and personal feel of it.”

Kat chuckled again and then glanced over at the mountain of a man that Cue was about to fight. He stepped into the center of the ring, ready to rumble. He glanced down at Kat and grinned at her in a manner that made her roll her eyes.

“Step back, sweetie. I don’t want to get this guy’s blood on you,” the giant commented, trying his best to be charming. He gave her a crooked smile, showing off the fact that he was missing a tooth.

Kat laughed again. “You hear that, Cue? He doesn’t want to get your blood on me.” Her eyes danced with delight, guessing how the young man was going to take that.

“Oh, I heard, sweetie,” Cue countered, half-smile tugging at his lips now.

Kat stuck her tongue out at the younger fighter. Cue did not bother with responding and turned his attention to the giant before him. Kat shook her head, wondering if the mountain of a man knew what he was getting into. Out of all of the people that Kat had met since Isabel started working for Cougar Gent, Cue and his twin sister Tee practically made the Han sisters fall in love with them; they practically adopted the younger siblings. They were just outstanding martial artists, who knew when to be serious and when they could just chill out.

The huge man soon found out what Kat already knew, Cue was dangerous. In less than a minute, Cue took his opponent down a few pegs. The sound of Cue’s feet and legs knocking against the man’s massive torso caught the attention of many of the gym’s patrons. They were hooping and hollering while looking in on the fast paced match. Kat easily got caught in the wave.

“Knock him the fuck out, Cue!” Kat cheered, throwing her hands up and bouncing on her heels.

“Yeah!” the crowd concurred.

Cue chuckled and then decided to put the finishing touches on the fight…if it could be called that considering how one-sided it was. He especially did not want to risk injury to himself by stringing things along; if fighting with Isabel had not taught him anything else, he knew to never get too full of himself. One final kick to the ribs and the mammoth man went down.

“Timber!” Kat called out with a laugh.

Cue was knocked off of his feet as his opponent hit the canvas and shook the ring. The young man took a bow to his audience as they applauded. Kat got the feeling that Cue was not the first man that the giant had started with from the way everyone was cheering on his defeat.

“My turn!” Kat declared and she leaped into the ring with the spring of a leopard. She clapped and rubbed her hands together in anticipation.

Cue did not say anything, knowing that Kat could careless that there was an unconscious man in the middle of the ring. He just put his arms up because she came in swinging, charging him in less than a second. The grin on her face was predatory as she attacked Cue without a care in the world, except for her desire for a good battle. He knew the feeling and guarded against her assault while smiling himself.

The pair fought around the prone form in the ring, not caring if they stepped on him, but not wanting to trip over him. The crowd remained, knowing that it was always a good fight when one of the Hans took on one of the twins. It was not a let down watching them now, even with the large bump on the canvas. They skillfully avoided the body, but they did not make any moves to remove the fallen fellow.

“What the hell, man!” a loud voice screamed and the crowd parted as a lone figure stormed toward the ring.

Kat and Cue did not stop to see what the person was yelling about until he was screaming right next to the ring. They turned their attention toward the man, who appeared to be dressed for a board meeting more than an afternoon in the gym. They still did not think anything of him as he turned his attention to their unwanted bump in the ring.

“Oh, my fucking god! Who the hell did this to him?!” the well-dressed man demanded to know, glaring into the crowd of boxers and martial artists.

The crowd decided it would be funny to let the guy know exactly what he wanted. They all pointed into the ring. He whipped around to see who was in the ring and his jaw practically hit the floor. He could not believe that they were trying to tell him that a kid or a woman had dropped his giant.

“Let’s be serious, people. That man is trained boxer and wrestler! Now, who the fuck did this to him because I’m going to sue the shit out of them! He’s got a fucking movie shoot in less than a day!” the well-dressed man declared.

Suing? Well, that changed everything. Everyone continued to point in the ring. One person in the back jogged off and went to go get the owner of the gym, just so he could know that someone was threatening to sue. The owner, a tall, chocolate-skinned man with a thick neck marched over.

“Gary, what the hell is this I hear about you trying to sue?” the owner demanded to know as he towered over the well-dressed man. He folded his thick arms over his massive chest and it was easy to see every ripple of his muscles since he was wearing a sleeveless t-shirt that had seen better days years ago.

“Look that this shit!” the well-dressed man, Gary, proclaimed and he motioned violently toward the ring.

The owner glanced into the ring and at first all he saw was Kat and Cue doing their usual thing. He then took stock in the monster-sized knocked-out man in the ring. He craned an eyebrow.

“Goddamn it. Kat, Cue, get your respectively large and narrow asses over here!” the owner commanded in a loud bellow.

Kat and Cue ignored him at first until the bellow got louder. They dropped what they were doing after Kat got the last hit in and then they trotted over to the ropes, so they could give the owner their undivided attention. They could guess what the problem was, so Kat decided to grin at the owner.

“Don’t point that damned smile at me. I’ll get on the phone right now and tell your mother you got your ass kicked in here,” the owner threatened her.

“Oh, fuck you!” Kat huffed and her face twisted into quite the angry expression. She gave the owner the finger just to drive things home.

“Now, which one of you downed Chuckles here?” the owner inquired while nodding toward the unconscious man. He narrowed his gaze on Kat. “I’m willing to bet it was you. You down someone that big and you can brag to your sister, right?” he accused her, trying to glare at her, but he really wanted to laugh.

“We don’t compare sizes, you nut. We compare numbers,” she pointed out. “I could easily knock someone out that corny anyway. He didn’t even lay a hand on the kid here.” She nodded toward Cue.

The owner turned his attention to the young man. “Oh, so it was you. I should’ve known that anyone brought in here by a Han would drive me to drink,” he remarked and then he realized something. “Wait, wait, wait, where are your sisters?” he asked suspiciously. He did not anymore surprises.

“They’re not here,” Kat assured him to ease his nerves.

The owner breathed a sigh of relief. “Good to know. Now, what happened here?” he demanded to know while motioning to the ring.

Kat and Cue glanced at each other and then Cue started telling the story. Kat chimed in, as no one ever expected her to ever be silent for more than a few seconds. The owner nodded through it all while Gary looked like he was screaming “liar!” in his head through out the whole thing.

“You expect me to believe that you dropped him?” Gary demanded, pointing from Cue to the still very unconscious man in the ring.

“Like a rock,” Kat answered with a chuckle. She then went through the motions of acting like she had something in her hand and was releasing it on the floor.

“This is bullshit. He’s a fucking trained boxer and wrestler. A string bean like you would never be able to do such a thing!” Gary hollered, glaring at the pair in the ring. He was certain that some other person, someone bigger, had to be the culprit.

“Why don’t you get in here and find out? To be fair, I’ll finish my fight with Kat first. She should beat me up enough to where I don’t kill you in the ring,” Cue stated with a stark seriousness.

“This is impossible! Show me,” Gary demanded.

“Show you?” Cue smirked. His eyes shined, laughing on the inside.

Cue grabbed Kat and flung her back into the center of the ring. She chuckled as she landed with perfect balance. Cue practically flew at her and they started their little “dance” again. Gary could not believe his eyes, especially since Kat was the one winning. Before the fight was over, Gary was on his cell phone.

“Hey, I know for a fact we’re more entertaining than a goddamn phone call!” Kat complained as they paused for a break. Not to mention, their unwanted ring companion started moving as he woke up and they did not feel like risking injury by falling over him.

“Indeed you are, which is why I’m on the phone. How would you two feel about being in a movie?” Gary proposed with a big smile.

“Movie?” Kat and Cue echoed in confusion. They turned to each other with scrunched up faces and then looked at Gary with the same expressions.

“Guys, meet Gary Moore. He’s a movie producer and all around pain-in-the-ass,” the owner of the gym commented with a laugh. “Gary likes to stalk the gym for talent to throw in his crazy action movies. Take him up on the offer since neither of you have real jobs. Don’t make me call your mother,” he threatened.

“Fine!” Kat conceded right there with a frustrated look on her face. She knew that he was not lying around calling her mother and her mother would side with him just to get on Kat’s nerves. It did not help matters that he and her mother were old friends too.

Cue shrugged and figured that he would just follow Kat’s lead. So, apparently, they were going to be in the movies. He actually hoped that it worked out, so he would be able to walk away from the underworld and take his sister with him. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Kat finds out that being in a movie isn’t as great as she assumed while Isabel is having relationship troubles and Jason has an epiphany.


	28. Burning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yeah, there’s still some female/female action going on.

Chapter 28: Burning

“Come on, Izzie, I thought you said you could handle it,” Jasmine called from the top of the stairs of her dorm. 

“I said I could carry some stuff, not become an overwhelmed beast of burden,” Isabel growled. She was not sure what was in the trunk that she was carrying, but considering who Jasmine’s father was, she would not discount the fact that it might be a body since it seemed to weigh as much as one.

“I thought you were supposed to be the tough guy. What’re all those muscles for if you can’t carry a little box?” Jasmine teased with a devilish smile curling onto her face.

“They’re good for pitching this little box at you,” Isabel countered with another growl.

“I doubt you could throw it that far.”

“If I can hold your weight, I think I can throw a little box.”

Jasmine blushed a little, figuring out what sort of “holding” Isabel was talking about. The pale warrior made it to the top of the stairs and followed behind Jasmine to get the container to the dorm room that it needed to be. Jasmine was starting her first year of graduate school and was going to be staying on campus. Isabel was happy for that since it meant that she would be getting her home back. She was willing to bet that Cassandra was throwing a party over it.

Jasmine opened the door to her room and Isabel dropped the trunk without a care, mostly because she could feel her cell phone vibrating in her pocket. Jasmine growled because of the careless treatment of her belongings. Isabel waved her off and turned her attention to her phone.

“Yeah, Kat?” Isabel answered her phone while ignoring her glaring girlfriend.

“Izzie, you gotta help me!” Kat whined as if she was in complete and utter distress.

“Calm down, Kat. What’s wrong? Is Alex all right?” Isabel demanded to know. Her niece was the first thing that jumped to mind because of how much her sister was whining. She silently vowed that she would murder anybody that hurt her niece!

“My kitten is fine. Look, I need you to just come to the address I’m about to give you and I’ll explain everything else once you get here.”

“All right. You sure Alex is fine, though?” the elder sister inquired just to be sure.

“She’s fine.”

Isabel nodded and Kat started to rattle off instructions. As soon as Kat was done, she disconnected the call before Isabel had to chance to ask what that was all about. Isabel rolled her eyes and put her cell phone back in her pocket.

“Gotta go,” Isabel said as if it was nothing.

“Gotta go? You promised to help me move in,” Jasmine pointed out, stomping her foot. Isabel could not help glancing down at said foot and wondering if there was something wrong with it.

“You need to do something about that nervous twitch you have. Kat needs me for something, so you’ll have to carry all of the little boxes on your own or call some of your father’s goons,” the raven-haired fighter informed her lover.

“You can’t just leave. You made a promise. You always do this to me. If it’s not Cassandra then it’s Kat. If it’s not Kat, it’s Alex. If it’s not Alex, it’s Ellie. If not her, then it’s your mother. I have to compete with four other women in your life and they’re all related to you! You’re not fucking them. You need to be here for me sometime!” Jasmine huffed.

Isabel appeared quite bored by the little speech. “We’ll talk about it later, once you’ve worked past your little temper tantrum. Now I have to go,” she announced and she walked out without giving Jasmine a goodbye kiss or even a wave. She did not look back either and she did not flinch when she heard the door slam behind her.

“Kat, this better be damned good,” Isabel grumbled as she started making a call for a cab. 

-8-8-8-8- 

“This is some of the most bullshittiest bullshit I have ever had to deal with,” Kat groaned as she put her hand over her face and leaned against a nearby light post. She was dressed in biker leathers, which was not her call, but she decided to deal with it. She had to deal with a lot of things that day, but there was one thing that she was not going to do.

“Miss Han, you’re supposed to be in this shot,” a man informed her as he walked over to her.

“No, I’m not doing it! I refuse. If any of my family saw me do this shit, they would laugh me out of the family. This whole thing is bullshit!” Kat told anyone close enough to hear and there were plenty of people nearby.

“Miss Han, you’re not irreplaceable you know,” Gary commented as he walked over.

“You act like I give a shit. I’m just trying to help you make this little fight scene your so-called paid fight choreographer designed better. Now, you guys could wait five fucking minutes, then we could do something worth filming,” Kat replied.

“You’re holding up production and it costs money,” Gary said through gritted teeth.

“But, I’m about to save you money and make you more because here comes somebody that should be able to make this one sick ass fight,” Kat remarked and she pointed ahead of them.

Gary turned and saw a lone woman walking toward the set; they were filming a movie. There was something familiar about the woman, Gary thought. He was not sure what it was because he knew that he did not know the pale beauty coming toward them, but there was just something so familiar about her, about the way she moved, carried herself, and stared at the whole set.

“Who the hell is that?” Gary asked Kat with suspicion in his voice.

“That, my fucking pest, is your salvation. The person that will make this shit so much better than what you have, and what you’ve had in your past B-movies. That is—” Kat was cut off as Isabel stood before them.

“Kat, what the fuck?” Isabel demanded. A tight frown pulled at her face as she tried to piece together why her sister wanted her.

“You just ruined my whole dramatic introduction of you! Damn it, it was going to be so fucking cool and you go fucking it up,” Kat huffed while rolling her eyes and folding her arms across her chest.

“No, seriously, what the fuck? I see you got Cue over there in some biker gear that’s too big for his skinny ass and thanks to you I now have to deal with having a fucking fight with Jasmine later on, so what the fuck?” Isabel inquired once again.

“Izzie, I want you to meet Gary Moore. He’s a producer and we’re standing in the middle of a movie he’s trying to make,” Kat answered.

Gary held out his hand, offering some civility, even though Kat was working his last nerve. Apparently, she was working Isabel’s nerves too because Isabel was not so polite. She looked at Gary and that was it. Her eyes then cut back to her sister, who grinned as if everything was all right.

“All right, fuck him. What the fuck do you want? I rushed here thinking that something was wrong with Alex,” Isabel informed her sister, pointing to the ground as if to emphasize her location, like Kat did not know where she was.

“I told you Alex is fine. She’s having a great day with her grandma and big cousin at the zoo,” Kat cooed, just to bug her sister. It worked, of course.

“So, what the fuck?” Isabel asked for what felt like the millionth time at least. She put her hand to her forehead and massaged the center for a moment before setting her hand back to her side. She continued to stare down at the blonde as if trying to will her to burst into flames.

“Okay, Isabel, you remember when I just started making tapes and crap back when we were younger, right?” Kat inquired.

“Yeah, what’s your point?” Isabel growled. She was about two seconds short of grabbing her sister by the hair and just beating the information out of the shorter blonde.

“I remember you used to design fight scenes, trying to be like Mommy. You did some okay work for, you know, an eleven-year-old. Look, I tried calling Mommy for this, but she was happy to be with her grandkids. So, there’s you,” Kat explained.

A shaking fist raised into Kat’s view, letting her know that she was one sentence away from getting punched. She had already insulted Isabel by implying that she was just a substitute for their mother and then she was not getting to the point of why Isabel had to rush here in the first place. Kat raised her hands in surrender, holding off the beating for another couple of sentences at least.

“Okay, Cue and I are here because we’re supposed to be in this fight scene. The scene is pure and utter bullshit. I mean, it’s fucking horrible. I was hoping you could fix it,” Kat explained.

Isabel grunted; this was definitely more their mother’s speed than hers. Isabella was a professional fight choreographer…according to tax records anyway. Isabel had never done anything like that, except for her little sister’s camera and even then she stopped when she was fifteen, thinking that she was being silly. Not to mention, it seemed eerie to her that she was copying her mother.

“Okay, if we show you this shit, will you fix it if you can?” Kat begged. If Isabel did not do something about it, she was just going to go home.

“Whatever. I’m here now. Show me what the hell you got,” Isabel conceded. She was there and she would rather do something that sounded fun then go home to an empty apartment where the phone was probably ringing like crazy with Jasmine leaving messages for her, cursing her out and things like that. She wanted her bug with her when they returned to their home, just the two of them; the thought almost brought a smile to her face. She could turn the phone off when they got there.

Kat grinned and then rushed into position to start the scene. Isabel stood out of the way and watched the whole thing with a passive expression. By the end of it, she appeared far from impressed. In fact, her face was scrunched up to the point that she appeared confused as to what she just saw.

“You actually paid someone money to design that?” Isabel asked Gary curiously, as if it truly shocked her.

“I’ll have you know that Alvin has worked on some of my best films,” Gary declared in defense of the fight choreographer, who was standing less than ten feet from them. There was just something about Isabel that was making him keep his distance.

“I get the feeling you don’t gross much when it comes to movies or your screenwriters are fucking brilliant and have stories that save the shit out of the movies. Give me one hour and I’ll give you something a little less cringe-worthy. Free of charge, just because I refuse to have my sister and Cue involved in something this fucked up,” Isabel declared quite seriously.

“Thank you, Izzie!” Kat screamed, throwing her hands up to the heavens as if God just answered her prayers.

“You call me Izzie again and I’m fucking out here,” Isabel informed her sister while pointing a threatening finger at the blonde. 

“I’ll be good!” Kat promised while Cue glared at the blonde to make sure she kept that vow. After all, he did not want to be involved in the badly designed scene either and he would like to see Isabel do something other than kick a person’s ass for once.

Gary decided to concede the hour, just so he could laugh at Isabel and Kat when they were done. Isabel paced for a moment, replaying what she saw in her mind from the fight scene. She then turned her attention to all of the players. She called over the group that she did not know and made them quickly go through routines, so she could get an idea of what they were capable of. She nodded, but did not say anything.

“Is she going to say anything?” Cue asked Kat in a low voice while leaning in to speak into her ear. He did not want to chance trying Isabel’s patience and getting his head bitten off at the moment.

“Give her a couple of minutes. She’s making it up in her head. She used to do this when we were kids,” Kat explained.

Cue nodded to show that he understood. True to Kat’s word, after a couple of minutes, Isabel started giving out orders, knowing exactly what she wanted to do. She just hoped that they would be able to pull it off in one hour. 

-8-8-8-8-

Gary could not believe his eyes. He swallowed down any laughs as he watched the fight that Isabel designed. His fight choreographer was quiet on the sidelines next to him. They both scowled at the sight.

“Wow, that was something else,” the director muttered in awe. He waited for Isabel’s signal to yell “Cut!” because he was not sure when the battle was done.

Isabel waved to indicate that they were done and the scene was wrapped up. Kat cheered and started a round of applauds for her sister. Isabel rolled her eyes and then checked her watch.

“I need to go get Cassandra,” Isabel said.

“Already? That has to be the cheapest trip to the zoo Mommy ever did if you have to get her now,” Kat pointed out with her hands on her hips.

“I’ve got a few errands to run before I get the bug too. Stop minding my goddamn business. Now, enjoy this thing you have going here and I’m getting the fuck out of here,” Isabel stated.

The pale Amazon walked off before anyone could say anything else to her. She had to do some shopping before she picked her daughter. She and Cassandra then went back home. Cassandra sighed when they entered the house and were greeted by the decidedly sweet sound of silence.

“Mommy, let’s go practice,” Cassandra suggested eagerly. It would be so great to practice without any interruptions.

Isabel smiled and had no problem with indulging her little girl. They practiced their martial arts for a few hours. Cassandra went to bed with an exhausted grin on her face. She had been so happy with practicing that she did not even tell her mother about her day with her grandmother and her cousin. Isabel figured that she would get the short version of it in the morning.

After her own workout, Isabel climbed into bed. She sat up to do some reading and the phone rang to disturb her. She could guess who it was and decided to answer it anyway.

“Yeah?” Isabel answered the phone in her usual tone of voice.

“Uh…hey, babe,” Jasmine said, sounding almost shy.

“Hey.”

“Are we fighting?” Jasmine asked curiously.

“That’s up to you. You’re the one that made the fuss about me leaving. So, if you’re still upset, then it’s on you.”

Jasmine chuckled a bit; it was a hallow sound. “I expected you to say something like that. It’s always something like that with you. You’re never at fault.”

“No, I just don’t give a damn,” Isabel corrected her girlfriend.

“That’s the problem. Sometimes, it seems like you don’t give a damn about anything, including me,” Jasmine huffed.

The martial artist was silent. It was not that she did not give a damn about anything, but she knew how to let go. She knew how to move on. Her mother taught her that the world did not end because certain things happen. The Earth would not stop revolving on its axis just because Jasmine was upset with her or if Jasmine walked out on her, just like when Jason disappeared from her life.

“So, this call is to berate me?” Isabel asked curiously. An eyebrow arched out of habit, even though there was no one around to see it.

“Damn it, Iz. You do care, don’t you?” Jasmine huffed.

“Indeed.” The tall woman frowned, hating that her feelings were under questioning. How dare someone who had been invited in her home, to share her meals, her bed, and her child ask if she cared!

“You don’t sound like it,” the college student pointed out. 

Isabel sighed. “Seriously, is this the conversation you want to have over the phone after midnight?” she inquired.

“Damn it, I just want to know you care about me! Tell me I’m more than just a fucking job or a good lay!”

“Of course you are. What the hell? You think just because I have to go help my sister that you’re just a job or because I want to spend sometime with my daughter, I’m only with you for the sex. What the fuck? I don’t have time for this stupid shit. If you need to ask these questions, I can only wonder where the fuck you’ve been,” the older woman huffed.

Jasmine was silent for a moment. She knew that she was hanging on by a thread. If Isabel hung up the phone, they were likely over, Jasmine thought. As upset she was, she did not want things to be done.

“Baby, I just want to know that I’m special to you,” Jasmine said in a low tone.

Isabel sighed and rubbed her forehead. She wondered for a moment if she was like this with Jason. Had they ever had a fight where she called in the middle of the night wanting to know if she was special to him? No. It was never a question because she understood that some things did not need to be said. He had put up with certain things from her and did certain things with her that answered that unasked, never-thought-about question.

“Jasmine, I don’t know why you even have to ask that question. Didn’t you notice that you’re the only person not related to me ever invited into my home? You’re the only person not related to me I trust my daughter with. You’re the only person I ever take to crappy movies,” Isabel pointed out.

“But…you’re not very romantic and you always run out on me…” Jasmine countered, sniffling and sounding pathetic. For a moment, Isabel wondered if she was being played.

“I’m not romantic?” Isabel muttered in disbelief. Okay, granted, she never brought Jasmine flowers or chocolate or anything like that, but she took her to the best restaurants when they went out on dates, ordered the finest wines, and once again, she watched crappy movies with Jasmine all of the time. She cuddled and cradled Jasmine whenever they were lounging around and she even whispered sweet-nothings into Jasmine’s ears just to get a little giggle out of the younger woman. What more could she possibly do?

“No…”

“What’s your definition of romantic, Jasmine? What do you want from me? You want me to fly you off to Paris for a night on the town? You want me to have a plane sky write your name? Should I have your name tattooed on my ass?” Isabel inquired through clenched teeth.

Jasmine whimpered like a kicked puppy. “No, none of that. I just want to know that I’m special to you. I would like to see some effort on your part.”

Isabel sighed; effort on her part? She had to woo her woman. Fine, she could do that, she thought.

“All right,” the fighter agreed. Let it never be said that she just gave up on anything.

“All right?” Jasmine echoed as if she could not believe it. She was certain that she heard wrong.

“All right. Are you free on Saturday?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll be by to get you at seven,” Isabel stated. It was going to be a bitch to convince her mother to babysit on Saturday, but it was either that or just give up on her relationship. Isabel was not a quitter, even when it came to relationships with people that seemed to get on her nerves.

“Isabel, that’s not being romantic. That’s being domineering.”

“Fine. Shall I see you at seven then?” Isabel asked, barely hiding her annoyance. How the hell did men put up with women sometimes, she wondered. She sincerely hoped that she was never this irksome to Jason, although she suspected she was.

“Seven sounds great.”

“Is there anything else?” she inquired in a tight tone.

“Could you stop making it sound like I’m a burden to you?” Jasmine huffed. Just when it seemed that Isabel was going to do something right, she had to go and mess it up with her attitude.

Isabel was caught on the phone for almost an hour just being berated about how she acted as a girlfriend. She thought about how she used to endure such things when she was with Jason. She concluded that she just was not good girlfriend material at all if her two relationships were any indication of things. She wondered if that was how Jason felt most of the time. 

-8-8-8-8-

Jason woke up in the morning and went through his morning routine, showering, brushing his teeth, shaving, and eating breakfast. He paused as he got into his car. He pulled out his wallet and stared the picture in the front. It was not his driver’s license or work ID, but a picture of Isabel.

“Izzie…” Jason whispered. He missed her a little more everyday, he thought. He just could not accept that she was gone, that she was out of his reach. He was not sure exactly what he needed to do to get her back, but he recalled that she told him that he needed to grow up.

He put the picture away and drove off to work. He went in and greeted a few people, but stopped at one coworker’s desk. The older man was sitting down and at his computer already. He turned and grinned Jason with a big grin.

“Hey, big guy, how’s it going?” the man asked while reaching out to shake Jason’s hand.

“Hey, Paul. I’m good. How’s your family?” Jason countered.

“Pretty good. My boy is really eager for his baby sister to start doing stuff. The kid has been trying to get her to jump out of her chair whenever he can,” Paul answered with a fond smile. His eyes sparkled like always when talking about his family.

“Sounds like he’s happy to have a little sister. I’m guessing his taking after your cue,” Jason remarked with an amused smile of his own. Lately, he had felt envious of his coworker, who obviously adored his family and they seemed to return the favor.

“I guess so. I love the little angel. I still spend a lot of my time just staring at her when I go home. My wife thinks I’m silly because I just like staring down at her, not holding her or anything, just staring. She amazes me, but listen to me ramble. You’ll know about all of this when you have a kid,” Paul told the young man while patting Jason on the arm a couple of times.

Jason was silent for a moment. “Actually…I have a daughter…” he admitted in a low voice, glancing away for a moment.

“You do? I didn’t take you for a family man. What’s your little girl’s name?” Paul asked, absolutely interested if the shine in his eyes meant anything.

“Cassandra. Her mother calls her ‘the bug.’”

“I’ll bet she’s adorable. You have any pictures or anything? I would love to see what she looks like. I bet she takes after you,” Paul declared beaming.

“I don’t have any pictures on me. She actually looks just like her mother.” Jason took out his wallet and showed Paul the photograph that he had of Isabel.

“She’s a beautiful woman. I’m sure your daughter is beautiful too. If I were you, I’d get a picture of both of them and put that in your wallet. If you have a lovely family, you should show them off,” Paul stated with a solid nod.

Jason knew that he should understand what he was being told, but he really did not. “Why?” he asked in a low voice. His eyes were squinted slightly and clouded with barely noticeable confusion.

“What do you mean why? This is your legacy here, your accomplishments. This is what’s going to live on after you, remember you when no one else does, and take care of you when you’re older. Besides, I just love being with my kids. My son’s taking swimming lessons and the boy swims like a damned rock, but he loves it and I like being there with him. I don’t know. Just when my kids are happy, I’m happy. I love being loved by my family. That’s just how I am. I couldn’t imagine being any other way,” Paul explained as best he could. He could not comprehend how someone could not be proud of his family.

Jason nodded, taking in what Paul said. None of those things really ever occurred to him. All he knew was that Isabel was suddenly pregnant with a child she was going to have whether he wanted her to or not and then she did not have a boy. Now the baby that they had hated him and he… He could not even finish that thought. He doubted that he would ever know what it was like to be loved by his family like Paul was talking about.

“Do you think it’s possible that you might dislike your son or daughter?” Jason asked curiously, whispering as if he was saying something scandalous.

Paul’s eyes looked ready to bug out of his head by the question. “Hell, no! I love both of the little goobers. I don’t see how you could look at a piece of yourself, a little person that you created, and dislike that little person. Especially the fact that you created this person with someone that was dear to you. You’ve got a walking, talking, breathing, living being that you made with the girl you love. How could anybody hate that?” he was more pondering aloud with that last bit.

Jason nodded again. He never thought of Cassandra like that either. He never looked at her and thought that she was a piece of him. She looked so much like her mother, acted so much like her mother, that he just could see her as belonging to her only her mother. But, he did help Isabel create Cassandra, she was a part of him, and he just realized something.

“I don’t want her to hate me…” Jason muttered. He did not want either of them to hate him.

“Excuse me?” Paul asked, tilting his head a little as if that would help him hear better.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Paul. I’ve got to get to work and I don’t want to keep you from doing your work too,” Jason said.

Paul nodded and Jason was on his way. As Jason sat down, he thought about Paul and the short time he had gotten to know the man. Paul’s wife recently gave birth to a baby girl and Paul had been so excited that he had to let the whole office know. Jason thought Paul’s behavior was weird, but as he started talking to the older man, he became intrigued by the man.

Jason slowly realized that he wanted to be like Paul. He wanted to be proud of his family. He wanted to come in one day with pictures of a newborn baby and flashing them proudly. He did not want his family to hate him. He wanted to love being loved by his family and he wanted to openly love them in return. He was not sure how to go about fixing the mess that he had help create over five years ago, though, and Cassandra was not the mess he was thinking about. 

-*-(New day)-*- 

Isabel arrived at Jasmine’s dorm room. She sighed as she exited the cab and told the driver to wait. She tried to shake the thoughts of her mother glaring at her when she asked Isabella to watch Cassandra for the night. It was not that Isabella did not desire to see her granddaughter, but Isabel knew that her mother liked being difficult and Isabella disliked being requested to do anything. Isabel understood that. 

The tall woman made her way up the stairs to Jasmine’s door. She knocked loudly on the door and waited for some response. She checked her outfit after hearing a familiar voice request that she wait for a moment. She had decided on wearing a pants’ suit; it was a cream-colored suit with a long jacket and black vest. Her suit matched her shoes, which were brand new.

The item in Isabel’s hand did not match with anything, especially not her usual tastes. She was holding a dozen long-stem red roses. She doubted that she would ever understand the appeal of flowers, but she had a feeling that Jasmine would flip when she saw them…and she was right.

“Oh, my God! Iz, are these for me?” Jasmine inquired as the door opened and she quickly took note of the flowers.

“They aren’t for me,” Isabel remarked. She hated flowers, unless they were sitting happily in some dirt where they would have a chance to live more than a few days.

“Thank you, baby,” Jasmine cooed as she took the flowers. She tugged Isabel into her dorm room. “Let me put these in some water and then we can go,” Jasmine stated.

Isabel nodded and then she wondered what the hell was she doing in a dorm room. Jason should have been the first and last dorm room that she had ever been in. She then tried to shake those thoughts away. She mentally scolded herself to stop thinking about Jason.

“Shall we?” Jasmine asked with a bright smile that lit up her entire face.

“Let’s.” Isabel put Jasmine’s coat on for her and escorted her down to the waiting cab.

Jasmine fidgeted in her seat for the ride, wondering where they were going. Isabel took her girlfriend’s hand to keep her from moving. Jasmine smiled because of the larger hand holding hers.

“Where are we going?” the student asked.

“Just wait and see,” Isabel answered.

Jasmine decided to do just that. The ride was quiet as Jasmine tried to go through places in her mind that Isabel might take her for a romantic date. Her face fell when she saw them pull up to Isabel’s apartment.

“Isabel…?” Jasmine said, eyes flashing with confusion mixed with fury. She did not know what was going on, but she was starting to dislike it.

“Could you pay the driver? I need to see something,” Isabel said calmly, ignoring Jasmine’s pleading look.

Isabel handed Jasmine some money and quickly dipped out of the car. Jasmine growled and watched as Isabel practically ran into the apartment. She then turned her attention to the driver.

“How much is it?” Jasmine asked.

The driver then quoted an amount that Isabel did not leave and Jasmine knew did not sound right. Jasmine had to argue, mostly because she was very pissed with Isabel. The cab driver was an easy target to vent on. The argument lasted for a few minutes before the driver conceded that Jasmine was right and he had glanced at the wrong numbers on the meter.

Jasmine almost hit him in the head with her hand as she flung the money through the divider. She stormed to Isabel’s apartment door and planned to give her girlfriend an earful. A huge thud echoed through the home as Jasmine flung the front door open.

“Izzie!” Jasmine screamed her girlfriend’s hated nickname and then she noticed the dim light covering the hall leading up to the living room.

A confused look washed over Jasmine’s face as she looked at the short candles resting peacefully on each step. A smile crept on her face and the expression grew wider with each step that she climbed. It became an all out grin when she discovered Isabel at the top of the stairs with a bottle of champagne in her hands.

“So, did you have any trouble finding the place?” Isabel remarked with a cool, confident smirk on her face.

“Oh, Isabel,” Jasmine moaned in delight.

Isabel smiled a bit and she motioned to a candle lit table. Jasmine wasted no time in sitting down and Isabel poured them each a glass of champagne. The night was filled with soft music, a hot, homemade dinner, and dancing together in Isabel’s living room.

“Isabel, I’m sorry,” Jasmine muttered into the taller woman’s shoulder as they swayed together as classical music floated through the air.

“Don’t be. You have a right to demand special treatment and you’re right. I should show you that you are special,” Isabel answered. Of course, in her opinion, she thought that she was doing that before tonight. Romance was nice and all, but it was not fair to her that Jasmine did not see the little things.

Jasmine did not say anything in response, which Isabel tucked away in the back of her mind. Apparently, romance was a one-way street, Isabel thought. All of her traffic was meant to go in Jasmine’s direction, but not the other way around. And then, the subject that forever plagued her crept into her mind; she wondered if she had been that way with Jason.

“Do I miss him?” Isabel asked herself since she could not get him out of her thoughts.

Before Isabel had an answer to that, she was distracted. It was a welcomed distraction in the form of Jasmine’s soft lips covering hers, which was followed by Jasmine’s sweet tongue dueling with her own. Her hands began wandering Jasmine’s supple form at their own length and leisure. When they broke away for air, Jasmine opted to use the oxygen for a request.

“Let’s end the night in your room,” Jasmine suggested in a low, sensual tone.

“Sounds like the perfect end,” Isabel concurred.

Isabel leaned down and scooped Jasmine up into her arms. She carried the smaller woman downstairs to her bedroom. Jasmine was a little disappointed when she saw that the area was not draped in candle light like the rest of the house, but she understood that Isabel would have needed magic powers to keep candles burning that long or to make it a surprise.

Jasmine was stunned when she found herself placed gently onto the softest sheets that she realized were satin. Her skin tingled in anticipation and for a second she considered antagonizing Isabel more often if it got her such wonderful treatment. The thought flew from her mind as she felt the weight of Isabel pressing down on the bed and she saw the raven-haired angel looming over her as if she was floating.

“Tell me what you want,” Isabel whispered before playing a tender kiss to Jasmine’s lips.

“I want you,” Jasmine answered.

“What do you want me to do?” Isabel passed her lips over Jasmine’s ear before kissing her earlobe.

“Make love to me.” The words were soft, whispered like a prayer. The request was granted.

Long, wet kisses were lavished to every inch of caramel skin. Calloused, deadly hands seemed to revere every area they touched. A curious, probing tongue explored the plane of the universe as far as the body underneath Isabel was concerned. Going ever deeper than any physical part of her, Isabel capped off the night by whispering to Jasmine in French for the entire time that she made love to her girlfriend.

Hours of sweet words in the most romantic language on the planet, Jasmine wondered if she had died and gone to heaven. Isabel was beyond romantic when pushed to that point. Her body automatically curled up into her pale lover when they were spent. The smile that appeared on the tired caramel face came out of nowhere.

“I didn’t know you spoke French,” Jasmine mumbled into warm, sweat-drenched flesh.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” Isabel commented. Like how she thought about Jason more and more recently.

“You are the most romantic person I’ve ever met,” the college student stated. It was true for the moment. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: The Hans sisters and their friends try to quit the mob for the promise of movie careers. Their boss has a little something to say about that, though. Will they make it out of this alive?


	29. Rising from the depths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Some people might be sad to know, the female/female warning no longer stands.

Chapter 29: Rising from the depths 

“Okay, bug, let’s do it again,” Isabel said as she and Cassandra spent a nice quiet night together, just how they both liked it.

Cassandra nodded and followed her mother’s lead once more. They made it through one kick before Isabel’s cell phone started going off. They both groaned and glared at the bothersome device, but at least the ring tone let them know who it was. Isabel grabbed the phone.

“Yeah, Kat?” Isabel answered the phone in her usual tone.

“Hey, sis, can you do me a favor?” Kat requested, sounding pathetic already to get her sister to agree.

“Depends on the size of this favor,” Isabel replied and then she motioned to Cassandra to go back to her exercises. Cassandra obeyed.

“It’s nothing big. I mean, it has nothing to do with Mommy. I just want you to tell Gent that I’m putting in my two weeks notice two weeks too late, as are the twins,” Kat explained.

The pale woman nodded, even though her sister could not see. “Oh, that’s all. Why are you quitting?” she asked curiously. She figured that her younger sibling might just be bored out of her mind now; after all, she was close to that point that. But, there was also the chance that Kat had a better offer and a plan of some kind…not a big chance, but a chance.

Kat’s tone made it clear that she was grinning as she started to explain. “I’m going to California. I’ve got another movie part and so do the twins. If you want to tag along, I don’t have any problem with that. Although I think you might be getting a call soon, inviting you out. I’m taking Ellie with me to showcase her skills. So, we’ve going to be working in a movie.”

Another nod and a small, proud smile tugged at Isabel’s lip. It would seem that her little sister was growing up. “That’s cool. I’ll tell him. You be careful in California. Listen to Ellie, and try not to get knocked up again,” she ordered.

“You make sure to do the same. Can’t wait to see you again,” Kat said, which was her goodbye. She disconnected the call, confident that she would see her sister one day soon.

Cassandra looked at her mother, but dared not question the nature of the call, even though her mother’s appearance was a little strange. It was not often Isabel smiled, after all. Isabel silently fell back into her line as the smile disappeared from her face. They went back to their workout.

“Your aunt Kat is moving to California and she’s taking Aunt Ellie with her. I’m sure Alex is leaving too,” Isabel informed her daughter after a few quiet minutes.

“No Alex? So, it’s just us and Grandma?” Cassandra asked curiously. Her eyes were suddenly—and against her will—glistening. She took a moment to rub her eyes with the back of her hand, returning them to normal.

Isabel nodded, noting the lack of enthusiasm on her daughter’s part and the emotion in her child’s eyes. Cassandra was not as unattached to her cousin as she tried to seem. Isabel already knew that Cassandra would miss her aunts. There were not a lot of people for Cassandra to connect with now. Isabel did not dwell on those thoughts. She would take action when it was necessary and not a moment before.

When Isabel had free time, she decided to make a business call on behalf of her sister and others, but she did not make it that far. Her phone rang again and the tone let her know it was an unknown caller. She did not check the ID and just answered.

“Isabel,” she said.

“Isabel Han?” Gary Moore asked. She remembered his voice, even though it was not distinguished or anything. She just recalled certain things well.

“Yes, Isabel Han.”

“I’m Gary Moore. I’m the man you choreographed that fight scene for.”

“I know,” she said in a clipped down.

“I’m sure your sister called and let you know that she was working on another movie for me. The camera is kind to her and she’s got moves I know would sell movies. You did bring those out of her, though. So, I was hoping that you would come along and work the same magic,” he informed her as politely as possible. He doubted that he had ever seen such a dynamic scene in a movie that he made anyway.

“You do realize that anymore of my time will cost you money,” Isabel replied in a deadpan tone.

“How much money?” he inquired curiously.

“On that I would have to get back to you,” she answered as if the whole thing bored her.

“You know you’re not that special. You could be missing out on a once in a life time opportunity,” he stated. 

“I doubt it. If I’m as good as I now assume I am, I could easily get work in fight choreographer if I cared. So, you’re not really threatening me as you assume you are. You either wait me or you don’t. If you want me, you wait. If you don’t, you hang up. It’s that simple,” she explained to him in an even tone.

There was a moment of silence. “How long of a wait?”

“I’m not sure, but I doubt it would be more than a few days or so. Maybe more depending on what happens. If the ship sails, then it sails. You wait or you don’t.”

“Try not to make it too long.”

Isabel did not say anything and closed her phone. Life took strange turns, she noted while considering what her next move should be. She figured out what she was going to do and now she just needed to know what order to proceed in. The little voice in the back of her head told her to be considerate for a change and she decided to be just that. She opened her phone again and called a familiar number that went right to voicemail.

“I would if she’s screening her calls,” Isabel muttered to herself as she waited for the beep. “Hi, Jasmine. It’s Isabel. I was calling because there’s something I need to talk to you about, so give me a call as soon as you can.”

The call was disconnected after that. Jasmine had not answered a call from Isabel for a few days now. The martial artist could guess the cause; Jasmine felt neglected again. Isabel was not sure what to do about that since the matters that Jasmine felt the neglect from could not be changed. Jasmine wanted Isabel to visit more often, but Cassandra had school and Cassandra was always the number one priority in Isabel’s life. Isabel did not understand why Jasmine could not seem to get that.

“Whatever,” Isabel mumbled. She and her daughter were a packaged deal. If a person could not get along with Cassandra then Isabel did not want anything to do with the person, even if it was Jasmine.

Dismissing Jasmine from her thoughts, Isabel started on her next move. She made another call. The phone was answered that time around.

“Yes, Isabel?” Isabella answered her phone.

“Hey, Mommy. I was offered a job kind-of-spur-of-the-moment, so I will have to utilize your resources to make this go as quickly as possible,” Isabel explained.

Isabella’s attention was grabbed, even though Kat had already called and informed her what was going on. “What sort of job?”

“I’m sure Kat already told you. I figured that your people would be able to work out a deal for me.”

“And you’re just going to up and leave for California like your sister?” Isabella asked in a dull voice. Isabel did arch an eyebrow from the question.

“Is that a problem?”

“Kat has less to leave behind than you do. Cassie does have school, after all,” the older woman pointed out.

“I know. I doubt she would mind the change, but I will discuss matters with her. Is that all?”

The line was silent for a moment, as if her mother was thinking about if there was something more. “That’s all. I’ll start immediately.”

There were no “thank yous” handed out and the call was disconnected right then. Isabel put her phone down, wondering briefly if there was something more that her mother wanted her to consider before she moved. She shook that off, believing her mother would have said something if there was more. She turned her mind to how she was going to approach the subject with Cassandra. She really doubted that Cassandra would care about the move since she was not attached to much in the city.

Cassandra did not get along well with any of her peers in school. The teachers frowned on her because of her language and attitude. The only person that seemed to bond with Cassandra was her kindergarten teacher, but the little girl was not in her class anymore. All Cassandra did in school was get into trouble, mostly because “the people are assholes,” as she tended to put it. She would not be surprised if Cassandra actually danced from joy if she presented her with the idea of moving. 

-8-8-8-8-

It did not take long for Isabella to get back to her daughter. When Isabel was walking home after dropping Cassandra off from school, she had a long conversation with her mother. Isabella did not offer any advice…well, not in its usual form anyway. Isabella did make sure her daughter understood what she was getting into and what her new job would entail. The call ended after Isabella threatened to come visit Isabel’s sets if she ever saw a “fucked up” scene designed by her daughter. 

With that out of the way, Isabel waited for a call from Gary Moore. She supposed that she should have called him, but she wanted to see how interested he was in her. If he really wanted her, he would call back, especially after her mother’s people got in touch with him.

Once again, Isabel did not have to wait long. By the afternoon Gary Moore called her back. They hammered out any small details left and Isabel suddenly found herself employed as a fight choreographer for Moore Productions. Now, all that was left was quitting her job…well, quitting for herself, Kat, Ellie, and their favorite martial artist twins.

Isabel smiled. “This should be fun.” 

-8-8-8-8-

A deep frown marred Cougar Gent’s face as he stared at his door, waiting for an uninvited guest to arrive. He hated surprises and one thing that he learned since hiring Isabel was that she was full of them. There was something about that woman and he had known that from speaking on the phone with her for the first time, but he thought that he could control her and for a while it seemed that he was doing just that—in his opinion anyway. Now, she was suddenly showing up without having to be called, without showing respect or restraint. Something was wrong.

He was not allotted the time to figure out what that something was. The doors to his office burst open as if a hurricane was coming into his office. He could not control flinching from the sound alone. He quickly gathered himself as the woman who moved as if she owned the world strolled into his office. His frown was now a full-fledge scowl and slicing into his face with the intensity of a chain saw.

“Gent,” Isabel said in a clipped down. Emerald eyes stared down on him as if he was nothing, less than an insect or a speck in her world.

“Isabel,” he grunted. If looks could kill, his stare would have made Isabel drop dead infinite times already, but no such luck.

“I’ll cut right to the chase. As of this moment, I, my sister, Ellie, Cue, and Tee quit,” she announced as if it was any other, normal thing.

Gent’s face twisted for a moment and then he laughed. “You don’t quit until I tell you that you quit.”

A smirk tugged at her lip, but she fought it down. “Wrong. See, this is something you haven’t gotten since I started working for, even though I’ve been here for a year. You’re not the boss of me. I make my own decisions. Yes, you may tell me something and I may do it, but it’s because I decided to do it. It’s not because you can force me to do anything,” she explained calmly.

“This isn’t some job waiting tables, Isabel. This is a job that you keep for life. So, you tell your fucking sisters and those fucking twins to get their asses back here right now!” he barked, slamming his fists on the table.

Isabel did not even flinch. Her tone and gaze remained the same. “I will do no such thing. We quit.”

“Isabel,” he growled the name with an underlying threat to it.

“What?” she sniffed as if his very presence annoyed her, even though she was invading his space.

A haughty smirked suddenly appeared on his face. “You forget I know where that cute little daughter of yours goes to school.”

The fire that passed through Isabel’s emerald eyes could have easily scorched Hell. A cold bead of sweat ran down Gent’s cheek. Tense muscles flexed a hand into a tight fist, but suddenly the whole large body relaxed. Isabel smirked a little, looking like a big cat in front of a mortally wounded zebra.

“Let me tell you something, Mister Gent, something you don’t seem to get. You don’t scare me and you can’t threaten me. My last name is Han. I think you should look into what that means. You play a good mob boss, but I have family that do a little more than play. Their stomping grounds are a little bigger than this place too. You’re not even a fish in our ocean. So, you come after me and mine and you’re going to be the one that regret it,” Isabel promised him.

“You continue to underestimate me, Miss Han,” Cougar commented in a cool tone, leaning back in his chair. He folded his hands in front of him, playing them calmly on his desk.

“I think you have that the wrong way. We can play if you like. I have no problem with it. Just know that when you come after me, prepared to be crushed completely. You’ll have nothing, you’ll be nothing, and no one will treat you the same again,” she promised him in a matter-of-fact kind of way.

The tightness in his throat was hard to talk around. He managed it, though, and kept his composure. “You’ve been warned, Miss Han.”

“So have you.”

Isabel turned and strolled out after that as if it was the most normal thing to do. She paused for a moment while outside and then suddenly turned around to go back in like she forgot something. She marched right over to Gent, who had his phone in his hand; undoubtedly trying to set the wheels in motion to bring about Isabel and her family’s demise. She was not going to be sorry when that blew up in his face.

Isabel did not say anything and did not give him a chance to comment either. The phone was ripped from his hand and immediately met with his cheek at a phenomenal force. In fact, he would be surprised the find out that she had not broken his entire skull with that strike. He fell back into his chair as blood poured down his broken nose.

“That’s for threatening my bug. You ever think a bad thought about my baby again and I’ll bury you alive on the beach and watch the fucking tide come in around your fucking fat head,” she informed him in an icy tone that matched the glare in her eyes.

Gent’s eyes followed Isabel out of the door, terrified that she might return again. He picked up a tissue from his desk, placed it to his nose, and then picked up the phone again. He considered calling a doctor because his whole head was throbbing with agony, but he decided to go with his original plan.

“I want that bitch Isabel dead by this time tomorrow,” Gent told his lieutenants. With that done, he made a phone call to his doctor. 

-8-8-8-8-

Isabel stared at her phone, wondering what else she was supposed to do now that she planned on leaving. She had spoken with Gary Moore already and he was happy to hear that she was going to join them, even though he tried to hide his excitement. Something was nagging at her, though.

“Oh, I know,” Isabel said as it finally occurred to her.

She lifted her phone from its place beside her on the sofa and flipped it out. She was at home alone, having left Cassandra with her mother for a few hours while she finished tying up her loose ends. She had to be in California as soon as possible, so she did not have a lot of time to procrastinate.

Isabel put the phone to her ear and listened as the call went straight to voicemail. “Jasmine, if you ever bothered to listen to my fucking messages you’d know I need you to call me back. If you’ve found someone else, be a fucking grown-up and tell me. If you’re just tired of being with me, be a fucking grown-up and tell me. I don’t have time for this bullshit.”

She flipped her phone closed and then was hit by a thought that shocked her. She should call Jason. For a moment, she did not understand why she should make such a call, but then her brain caught up with her subconscious. He was her child’s father and he had a right to know where his daughter was. With that, the phone was opened again.

“Isabel?” Jason asked with hope in his voice. He sounded shocked, not able to believe his eyes when he saw the number on his caller ID.

“Jason,” Isabel said. A small smile worked its way onto her face without her knowledge.

“I’m surprised to hear from you.”

“I’m actually surprised that I called. Maybe I’m growing up a little myself,” she admitted. She was not sure where those words came from, but immediately recognized the truth to them.

“I’m trying to do that myself,” he confessed. He was willing to do anything to ease the ache in his chest from her absence and to get rid of the thoughts that his daughter, his flesh and blood, hated him.

A pain raced through Isabel that she never felt before and it settled into her stomach. It gnawed at her and stilled the news that had been right on the tip of her tongue. She wondered what the hell it was. She had never experienced it before; it was guilt.

“That’s good to know,” she said, trying to keep up the façade of being normal.

“So, to what do I owe the pleasure of the call? It feels really good to hear from you and everything.”

She smiled a little. “It feels good to hear your voice.”

Little did she know, but that admission had Jason dancing around his tiny living room. He had gone out and gotten himself an apartment not too long ago. He knew that he needed to start living on his own, making his own life. Surprisingly enough, it was a two-bedroom apartment; wishful thinking on his part, he silently admitted to himself.

“I’m glad you said that,” he replied.

She took a deep breath. “Look, Jason, I hate to call after so long and then have to tell you something like this, but this reason I called is because I’m moving.”

“Moving?” he sounded like he did not know what was, like he did not understand. Really, he did not understand. How could she be moving? How was he supposed to make up for being a jerk? How were they were going to work things out if she moved? Maybe she was not moving far, he thought.

“Yes. I’m moving. I was offered a good job and I think I should take it. Not I think, I did take it actually. Maybe it’s all part of that growing up thing,” she remarked with a forced laugh. Now that she thought about it, it was odd for her to take such a job and she was certain that she would not have taken it four years ago. Had she matured? She was not sure, but she did realize she was making weird decisions that she did not think were so weird.

“You’re moving? You’re going to take Cassandra with you?” he asked, even though he could guess the answer to that.

Isabel’s whole being felt light from his words. Had he just mentioned their daughter without prompting? He really was growing up!

“I have to take her. One of the reasons I called was to let you know that we were going to going and that I was taking her,” she informed him in a low, almost sad voice.

“Oh.” With that one sound he made it clear that his heart was breaking and hers shattered right with his.

“But, it’s not like you can’t come visit. Cassie is your daughter,” she added, hoping to ease the tension that was wrapping around her body like a massive anaconda.

“I would like that,” he said and it was so plainly sincere that it surprised him.

“I’m glad.”

“Look, Isabel, I really want to talk to you, but not over the phone. I’ve been going through a lot of changes lately that basically started when you yelled at me on the phone that day about growing up. I really want to sit down and have a face-to-face conversation with you. When are you free?” he asked.

“I’m not sure, Jason. I need to just straighten a lot of things out, but I do have to be in California by next week to start on things. If push comes to shove, you could always fly out with me,” she proposed before she realized what she was saying. She mentally cursed as she recalled the last trip that she took with Jason and what a disaster that was. She supposed that if he took her up on that, she could see how much he had grown or she could always just throw him out of the plane.

“I’ll have to see if I can get time off from work. Try to get in touch with me before you go, though. I really want to talk.” The desperation was clear in his voice. She could picture the begging face that he was making and it touched a cord in her, putting a sorrowful smile on her face.

“I’ll do my best. I should be able to call you in a few days, though.” Her phone beeped, letting her know that she had another call. “Jason, I need to call you back. I’ve got to take this call.”

“All right. Have a good evening.” He resisted the temptation of saying “I love you.”

“You too.” The call was disconnected and Isabel switched over to the other call. “So, Jasmine, you do listen to my messages.” Her voice was mocking and bland. All of the emotion that she felt while taking to Jason was gone, as if it had never been there.

“Who the fuck do you think you are leaving messages like that on my phone!” Jasmine demanded to know.

“I wouldn’t have to leave them if you would just pick up the goddamn thing when I call,” Isabel replied. Things with their relationship were seriously falling apart. Ever since their romantic night where Isabel had been a love goddess, Jasmine had been brattier than ever. It seemed since now that she knew Isabel could be romantic, she wanted that all the time. When Isabel did not deliver, the silent treatment and cold shoulder began and was only just broken—well, the silent treatment was anyway.

“Whatever. What do you want?” Jasmine practically spat, sounding like she would rather have dental work done than talk to Isabel right now.

“This might possibly be a conversation we need to have in person, but you might not like coming out here,” Isabel answered blandly. She wondered how their relationship had gone so wrong, so quickly. But, then again, the more that she thought about it, the more she knew it was doomed from the beginning. She would never be able to give Jasmine what she wanted because Jasmine wanted what Jason used to want—to be the first thing in Isabel’s life. But, that was impossible.

“What? You’re going to break up with me or something?” Jasmine demanded.

“Or something. Would you like to do this over the phone or will you take a moment out of your life to drive out here?”

“I…” Jasmine hesitated. “I can’t.”

“Is she there?” Isabel asked as if it was nothing.

“There is no one.”

Isabel rolled her eyes. “I know you well, Jasmine. I know you wouldn’t be willing to brush me aside if there wasn’t someone giving you all of the attention you want. If there wasn’t someone, you would be bugging me like you were before.”

“Is that how you see it? I’m bugging you?!” Jasmine growled. “You’re supposed to want to spend time with me! We’re girlfriends, damn it!”

“Unlike you, I have a daughter and job that required my attention also. Well, job be damned, but I do have a daughter.”

“And you always put her first!” Jasmine hissed.

There was a pregnant pause. Isabel was not sure how she was supposed to respond to that. She ventured a go, though.

“She’s my daughter,” the pale fighter said again.

“You’re supposed to be there for me, Isabel!”

“My daughter comes first. You should know that. Now, we’ve worked out my end. What of your end? I would ask, who is it, but I don’t know any of your friends. Just admit to me that there is someone else.”

“Maybe this isn’t something that we should discuss over the phone,” Jasmine suddenly concurred.

“Well, unless you’re going to come over here, I don’t think we’re going to do that,” Isabel said and then she glanced out of the window. She noticed quite a few headlights outside of the window.

“We should meet somewhere or something,” Jasmine suggested.

“I actually don’t think that’ll be a good idea. Jasmine, I hate to do this over the phone, but I do wish you happiness. I hope your new girlfriend takes good care of you and gives you the attention that you deserve.”

“Isabel, I’m sorry,” Jasmine apologized, sounding very sincere and ready to cry. She wished things had worked out between her and Isabel, but as great as Isabel was, she silently admitted that the warrior could not give her what she wanted.

“It’s quite all right. I enjoyed being with you for the time we had. Jasmine, I was calling to tell you that I’m going to be moving soon. So, take care of yourself,” Isabel said.

“Moving?!” Jasmine hollered in surprise.

“I can’t tell you more about it. I need to go. I think I have company coming and I really need to get ready for them.”

Isabel did not give Jasmine a chance to ask questions, ending the call by flipping her phone shut. She pulled herself off of the sofa and sighed. It was show time.

“Gent’s an asshole and an idiot,” Isabel commented to herself as she strolled down the stairs.

She waited on the stairs, standing out of the way of the door as much as she could. She listened for light footsteps making their way to her door. She decided to act before she ended up losing her door.

Isabel stepped out of her home and surprised a man that was about to put his foot through her door. She wasted no time putting her knee in his stomach and then she tossed him over the guardrail of the outside stairs, leaving him to drop more than ten feet. Her head whipped to the side as three other “gentlemen” came to make her acquaintance.

She saw them reaching into their jackets, so she knew that she had to act quickly. She leaped down the stairs into a powerful kick, striking the lead man so harshly that he fell unconscious before she even landed. With two down and two to go, Isabel flew into her next move like an eagle after prey. She hit a pressure point on the second man’s neck, causing him to collapse immediately; she was careful to make sure the move did not kill him as it was actually designed to do.

By now, the third man had enough time to show that he had reached into his jacket for a gun. He did not have the chance to aim it or shoot it, though. She grabbed his arm as he was pointing the weapon and proceeded to attack his gut with a flurry of punches. After a dozen of the precise hits, he coughed up blood and fell to the ground.

“Chumps. I had hoped he would send someone entertaining after me at the least,” Isabel commented.

The tall fighter did not return to her apartment. She pulled out her cell phone as she started walking. She checked behind her to see if anyone was following her and was not surprised to see a car creeping along with her. She shook her head.

“Fine,” Isabel sighed as she made her first call of the night. “Hey, Frederick, it’s Isabel.”

“What can I do for you, Iz?” her cousin asked in his dull, monotone voice.

“I need you to set yourself up for me in a half-hour. Can you do that?”

“I can do that. Just give me the directions and the times. Do you need me to do anything?”

“Nothing so far. Just a little scare. You can use your judgment if you need to do anything, though.”

“Sounds fair. Should I call Grandma? Or Mom?” 

“No. I think I’m going to call Mommy. She’s got Cassie anyway. So, you’re going to set up for me?”

“Yeah, you know I am. Just like you would set up for me.”

“In a heartbeat, cousin.”

“I know.”

Isabel hurriedly finished her conversation with her cousin and then did call her mother. She glanced behind her to see that the car was gone. She did not think anything of it and knew better than to let her guard down.

“Isabel, where the hell are you?” Isabella demanded to know, answering the phone in her usual “loveable” manner.

“Right now, trying to quit the mob without having to leave in a coffin,” Isabel remarked with a chuckle.

“Did he try something?” Isabella could barely hide the growl and anger in her voice. _How dare someone try to kill my daughter?!_  

“Yeah. I’m going to go talk to him right now. I called Frederick to help out,” Isabel explained.

“Okay, you do that,” Isabella replied. “I’ll hold into Cassandra for a couple more hours, but you make sure you bring your ass here and get her.”

“Yes, Mommy,” Isabel groaned. Leave it to her mother to glance over the fact that there was an attempt on her life—a very pathetic attempt, but an attempt nonetheless—and all her mother cared about was her getting Cassandra before the night was over. Although, she recognized the underlying message in the order—she had better live in order to pick up her daughter—she just chose to ignore that there was an underlying message.

The call was ended and Isabel made her way to Cougar Gents building. The security guards knew better than to try to stop her from going where she wanted to go; they also did not know that she had quit her job yet. She was able to make it up to the office without any problems and kicked in the doors to make her grand entrance.

The way the doors flew off their hinges was as if they had been bombed. Splintered woods burst across the room and fragments of the hinges clung to the wall. Sharp eyes snapped in the direction of the front of the room.

“The hell?!” Gent declared as soon as Isabel stepped in. He could not believe his eyes that she was standing there, like some avenging angel of death.

“Good evening, my friend,” Isabel said calmly as she walked over to the desk. It was like it was just another day to her.

“What are you doing here? Didn’t you quit?” he inquired with a sneer. He was doing a very good job of not peeing his pants since she was supposed to be dead by now as far as he was concerned. She managed to cheat death, though. If what she did to his doors were any indication of what she was going to do to him because of the assassination attempt, he could only imagine if they would ever find his entire body.

“I just wanted to be here for the moment a friend of mine with a familiar last name snipes you,” she informed him as she stood in front of his desk, stepping a little to the left.

Gent scoffed. “Sniped? You’re out of your mind! I always knew you were out of your mind,” he declared, his bravado slipping just a bit as a sweat bead ran down his cheek.

She nodded and motioned to an item on his desk. “He’ll be shooting this picture of your wife in about three seconds,” she stated and she did the count on her hand. Sure enough, three seconds past and the photograph on the edge of Gent’s desk was assassinated. The broken picture crashed to the floor with massive hole in the forehead.

“What the hell!” Gent screamed as he ducked and moved to where he was now directly in front of Isabel.

“And there goes the picture. Now, I would suggest you pick up the phone and make a few calls to find out about the woman you just couldn’t resist fucking with. In three minutes, my good friend with a familiar last name is going to shoot you. If you try to make a break for the door, I’ll snap your neck. If you prefer to use your time calling your goons, I’ll kill them while my friend with a familiar last name shoots you. However you cut this, I walk away,” she informed him in a cool, calm voice.

Gent looked into Isabel’s eyes, searching for some sign of a bluff or fear or anything that he could use to his advantage. The only thing those emerald orbs showed was clear, cold confidence. She was certain that she was going to be the one to walk out of the building alive. She was also the one with the sniper.

“You’re using up precious time trying to read my mind,” Isabel reminded him.

The sound of her voice made him move. He got on the phone and started dialing contacts, trying to find out about Isabel and her family name. As time ticked by, he was starting to think that she was bluffing and that her name meant nothing, but he then got in contact with someone that had heard of the Han family.

Isabel watched as the color drained from Cougar’s caramel face. She knew that he was now speaking with someone who knew about her family and the types of things they did. Hopefully, he was learning there was nothing worse than killing a Han that did not do anything warranting the act.

He carefully placed the phone back to cradle when he was done with the call. He focused his eyes on the floor, not daring to look at Isabel just yet. She kept her face composed and impassive.

“You still have thirty seconds. Perhaps you’d like to make another call,” she suggested.

“That won’t be necessary,” he assured her in a low tone.

Isabel shrugged, but she did not say anything. She raised her hand, signaling to her cousin that he did not have to fire…just yet anyway. Gent did not notice the gesture since he was not looking at her.

“So, will you be accepting my resignation along with everyone else I named?” Isabel inquired.

“Accepted,” he muttered. “Isabel…is there any way to keep what happened between you and me?” he suddenly asked.

“That’ll be rather difficult since I’ve already told my cousin and my mother. My cousin will back off when I tell him to. My mother…well, she’s my mother. Can you order your mother around?” She chuckled a bit. “You made the mess by jumping the gun, so you have to fix it. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone you threatened Cassandra, so at least you know Jasmine will be safe. I don’t know about you, though.”

Isabel walked out of the door as if she owned the world. She did call Frederick and told him that Gent would not be bothering her anymore. She was not surprised to find out that he agreed. She had no doubt that by next week Cougar Gent would be no more in some sense of the term.

“I can only guess if Mommy is going for ruin or death,” Isabel said to herself. No one messed with a Han, but no one especially messed with the child of a Han. 

-8-8-8-8- 

Next time: Isabel goes to work out in California, upsetting people the moment she gets there. Jason comes out for a visit.


	30. Pleasant surprise

Chapter 30: Pleasant surprise

“What’s California like?” Cassandra asked her mother while making sure not to take her eyes off of the window of the airplane. She was intrigued by flying; not the mechanics really, but the sensation and the sights. She was also quickly finding out that an airplane and the airport were good places to watch people, like the subway.

“You’ll find out when you get there. As you know, everyone’s experience is different, so how I see California is different from how you would see it,” Isabel answered. Her eyes were glued to the passengers ahead of them. She was taking in their movements and guessing what they were going to do next, trying to keep her instincts and mind sharp.

Cassandra nodded; she supposed that her mother had a point. She could not wait to get there. She was looking forward to having a fresh start. She hoped that her new school was not full of stupid people like her last school.

“Is Jasmine going to come visit?” Cassandra inquired, eyes still out the window.

“I doubt it. She’s not my girlfriend anymore,” Isabel answered.

Cassandra nodded. “Oh, right.” She suddenly smiled.

Isabel guessed that Cassandra was happy that Jasmine would not be around. “I thought you liked Jasmine.”

“Well, she was just in the way a lot. She whined all the time. Sometimes she was fun and sometimes she was whiny,” the child explained as best she could. _And sometimes she wanted all of Mommy’s attention!_ That was definitely a bad thing.

Isabel nodded, unable to dispute that. Besides, all of those things did not mean that Cassandra disliked Jasmine. It just meant that she was not about to admit to liking someone. She was growing into quite the little Han, Isabel noted. She supposed that she should have just named Cassandra after herself, but shook that away. Cassandra was not going to grow up under the shadow of a name that she hated.

Their flight was spent making light conversation every now and then, but they mostly looked on. A little trouble was started when Cassandra accidentally kicked the man’s chair in front of her. He turned around, attitude already on full blast, and was ready to rip Isabel a new one.

“Could you keep your wretched child from kicking my seat?” the man demanded, glaring at the young mother. Isabel did not even bother to look at him.

“Hey, turn the fuck around!” Cassandra ordered. “I only did it once, you asshole. Shit, stop being such a bitch and go back to your drink.”

The man was stunned by the words, the tone, and the hard expression on her face. He just stared at her for a moment before turning to Isabel, apparently wanting for her to reprimand her daughter if the outraged and pleading look on his face meant anything. Isabel glanced up at him.

“You heard her, bitch,” Isabel stated with an amused smirk.

The man scowled, but he wisely did not say anything. He turned around and flopped down into his chair. Cassandra and Isabel turned their attention back to the window and people respectively. The little girl kicked the chair ahead of her once more, just to make sure he was not going to say anything. He was silent. The rest of the flight was uneventful.

Waiting for their luggage was another matter. Both mother and daughter were about two seconds away from killing the next person to climb over them in order to retrieve bags. The crowd was saved when Isabel’s and Cassandra’s luggage came around. They were thankful to escape the airport, sanity in tact, but with a new hatred for flying; this always happened with Isabel when she traveled.

They caught a cab and went directly to Kat’s new home, which was an apartment in an upscale neighborhood. Bags were dropped right at the door and shoes were removed right after. Kat grinned at them, apparently happy to see her sister and niece. Alex was standing behind her mother, holding herself up by clutching her mother’s leg. Alex was grinning just as widely as her mother.

“Hey!” Kat greeted the pair.

“Un’ty! Cassie!” Alex shouted with joy. She was trying to say “auntie” to greet Isabel, but everyone always noticed that she never had a problem saying her cousin’s name.

“Hey there, little bit,” Isabel said as she leaned down to pick Alex up. Alex wasted no time throwing her pudgy arms around her aunt’s neck. Isabel could not help wondering if the cheerful demeanor and open affection came with the blonde hair.

“So, how was the flight out here, Cassie? You didn’t have to kill anyone on the plane, did you?” Kat inquired as she bent down to have a face to face conversation with her niece since Isabel was paying Alex all of her attention.

“No, I didn’t kill anybody, Auntie. There was this bastard sitting in front of me, though. He tried to start some shit, but I took care of him!” Cassandra declared quite proudly, going so far as to pound her chest a couple of times.

“Give ‘im hell, little Izzie!” Kat proclaimed as she patted the child on the back.

“Don’t call her that!” Isabel barked at her sister. She wanted that godforsaken nickname to die with her, which was one of the reasons she had named her daughter Cassandra.

Kat waved her sister off. The siblings each had long conversations with their nieces before Kat decided to give the grand tour. The apartment was a nice size; she explained that Gary Moore had actually helped her find it. He had been doting on her and Ellie since they touched down in California; she was not sure if it was because he researched the Han family name or if he really just valued them that much. She was willing to speculate that it was a little of both.

“Looks like Gary found you a good place. Ellie invited us to check out her space too. She said she’s not too far from here,” Isabel informed her sister. Their daughters had parked themselves in the living room to watch television. Unlike when the sisters watched television together, there were no arguments with the cousins. Alex happily watched whatever Cassandra wanted.

“She’s not. So, I guess you’re going to take Gary up on his offer to help you find a place?” Kat inquired as she and Isabel sat down in the dining room.

“I suppose. He’s obviously serious about us being out here. No reason I shouldn’t be just as serious. I have to read the script and everything before tomorrow.”

“It’s actually a pretty good story. I’d pay money to see it.”

Isabel scoffed. “Do you ever pay money to see a movie? Hell, do you ever watch a movie when you go to the movies?”

Kat rolled her eyes. “You don’t hear me knocking your celibate lifestyle, so don’t knock mine. You never did tell me how things went with Jasmine.”

Isabel shrugged the whole thing off. “She was already seeing someone by the time I broke up with her. That was easy to figure out.”

Kat chuckled. “Please, control your emotions as you talk about such a horrible breakup.” The sarcasm was practically oozing out of her mouth.

“You know…it was strange. I didn’t feel anything severing ties with her, yet I had liked her…” Isabel said, more to herself than her sister. It was like parting with a friend that she might one day see again, but nothing more than that.

“She wasn’t the one, Izzie. You’re like Mommy. There’s only one person on the planet for you and everyone else is standing in until that person shows up,” Kat explained, patting her sister on the shoulder.

“Fuck you,” Isabel said in a dismissive manner, shrugging away the hand on her body. Kat knew that came from being compared to their mother.

“Whatever. You going to stay here tonight or check into a hotel?”

“Here is fine. Hotel tomorrow and I’ll just stay there until Gary finds me some stomping grounds of my own.”

Kat nodded and grinned; apparently, she was in favor of that idea. In fact, she was the one that purposed it a few days ago. Isabel acted like it was a stupid idea, of course; Kat figured she acted that way because her little sister had the idea. But, as always, Isabel sided with her when she knew it would make Kat happy. 

-8-8-8-8-

“Are you really this stupid or are you fucking kidding me?” Isabel screamed in the face of the so-called actor. As far as she was concerned, he could not act his way out of the subway with the way he was performing for her.

“She’s pissed already,” Ellie snickered, standing a few feet away from the carnage. Kat was just openly laughing as her sister ripped yet another actor a new asshole.

Isabel had earned the reputation of being a bitch after being on set for all of two hours. More than one person on set had already muttered about how she needed to get laid, which earned them high-fives from Kat. People had safely assumed that if Kat did not mind them making fun of Isabel, they would not lose their jobs. They might lose their heads, but their jobs were fine.

“Look, it’s simple! Kat, come here!” Isabel ordered. The blonde Han wasted no time trotting over to her sister.

“Yes, ma’am?” Kat said with a salute, just to be silly. She wanted to ease some of the fear that her fellow fighters were feeling thanks to Isabel’s hot temper and need for perfection.

“Can you just show this fucking moron what it is he needs to do?” Isabel requested while motioning to the actor, who visibly flinched from being called a “fucking moron” as if he was not even standing there.

Kat grinned and she was about to go into it the moves, but was stopped by a demanding voice. “Isabel, why the hell is everyone calling me about you when you’ve only been here for two hours?!” Gary hollered as he stormed over. He was dragging his former fight choreographer with him, thinking that a change might be needed already.

“Oh, excuse the fuck out of me for having fucking standards!” Isabel screamed right back as she turned to face the boss. She put her hands on her hips as she glared down at him. He stopped moving after coming with in a foot of her because it felt like to go closer would get him burned to a crisp.

“What’s the problem?” Gary inquired, giving her his own dirty look.

“The problem is simple, they can’t do the moves. I planned a whole fucking scene out and now they can’t do the moves. Do I need to bring my fucking two-year-old niece here? Because, damn it, she would be able to do this shit!” Isabel declared, pointing down at the ground as if her word was as solid as the floor.

“She was doing it last night, if I recall,” Ellie remarked, finger to her chin as if she was seriously pondering the matter.

“No, that was Cassie doing these moves. Alex was doing whatever you were practicing,” Kat stated for no reason other than she wanted in on the conversation.

“Isabel, you either work with what you have or I’ll just have to use you on something else. I don’t have the time or the money for holdups on this thing. So, should I just leave Alvin here take over this scene?” Gary demanded to know while motioning to the man behind him, who was practically drooling.

Ellie and Kat winced; _power play, bad move_. Isabel growled and everyone had to look around to make sure a lion had not somehow managed to get on the set. Gary did not flinch, though.

“You know what, you go ahead and give him that scene. I’ll be back in an hour to work on the other one that’s right after this. After that, pull some shit like this again,” Isabel dared him and then she walked off before he could respond.

“You just messed with the bull,” Ellie warned Gary.

“She’s probably going to gore you in the ass too,” Kat remarked, laughing at her own cleverness.

Gary was silent for a moment. “All right, everyone get back to work! We don’t have all day to make this fucking thing!”

Everyone did as ordered. Isabel returned exactly an hour later. She had a group of people with her that raised a few eyebrows. Kat and Ellie knew the people immediately, though. They rushed over and started mingling. Isabel glanced over at Alvin, who looked her up and down with a smug glint in his eyes. She smirked at him.

“Do you know these guys?” Cue asked as he and his sister walked over to Isabel. They could not figure out how Isabel could possibly know anyone when she had barely been in California for a day.

“I should think so. They were the ones holding onto Cassandra for me,” Isabel said and as if on cue her daughter charged onto the scene.

“Why do I get the feeling I’m going to wish we waited for you?” Tee inquired.

Isabel just smirked again. Gary walked over to Isabel and looked at the crew behind her. He frowned, wondering what riff-raff the unruly woman had brought in with her. He did not even bother to hide his sneer while turning to her.

“Who are they?” Gary asked, folding his arms across his chest and rolling his eyes to show how unimpressed he was.

“Friends. They’re going to show you what I want to do for this scene. And you can see what your guy does with it. I’ll be needing Kat, Ellie, and the twins too. Has he finished yet or should I give him a few minutes before whipping his ass and showing you what a fight should look like?” Isabel countered in a bland tone.

“Fine, you want to do a comparison, we’ll do that. But, I’ll have you know, I’ve seen what Alvin did and it’s his best work. I doubt you could’ve come up with something so great in less than an hour,” Gary said.

“You’d be surprised what you can do with people you pick up at a bus stop,” Isabel said, earning a couple of laughs from the ten people with her.

Gary did not doubt that she picked up her new “friends” at a bus stop from the looks of them. He went to grab a chair while Isabel started dishing out orders. Alvin walked over to Gary, having overheard the whole deal.

“Are you seriously going to put up with this? I’ve worked on the scene already and come up with some good stuff. There’s no reason to indulge her and waste time like this,” Alvin stated. He was not looking forward to possibly being shown up by a woman that he was certain was psychotic.

“I brought her out here. I might as well give her a chance,” Gary answered with a slight wave of his hand. He had to pay her no matter what, after all; that was one of the things the vultures working for her mother worked out.

“You should just send her packing. I’m more than capable of making a fight scene. You know that,” Alvin huffed.

“If that’s the case, you shouldn’t be so worried. Besides, you act like this is the only job you have. You have better things to do than to make these fight scenes,” Gary answered.

Alvin snorted, even though it was true. Their operation was small, so people like Alvin that had been there since day one wore many hats. He liked all of his hats, though, and was not in the mood to be fired from one of them.

“Anytime you’re ready for us, Isabel,” Gary said.

“Cassie, get your little ass over here. You know you start it off,” Isabel called to her daughter, who was stuffing donut holes in her mouth from the snack table.

“Hmm?” Cassandra made the noise while turning to face her mother.

“Get over here!” Isabel ordered while pointing in front of her. Cassandra practically materialized in front of her mother.

“What’s she going to do with the little girl?” Alvin inquired curiously. There was no call for children in the movie at all, so he did not understand why Cassandra was even there.

“I think that’s her daughter. Maybe she wants to make a point,” Gary considered, wondering what the girl was going to do. He had a feeling that Cassandra was going to be doing the moves that Isabel wanted the actors to do.

Indeed, Isabel did want to make a point with Cassandra and it was the point that Gary was thinking of. She wanted to show them that not only could she design a great scene, but her desires were not that complicated if people knew what they were doing. In fact, her wishes were so simple that someone who was only six years old could do them.

Once everyone was set up exactly how Isabel wanted them, she gave them the signal to begin. Gary was about to light up a cigarette, but totally forgot that it was hanging from his lip when he saw what Isabel had in mind. Even Alvin could not look away, as much as he would have liked to. His brain could not even make the suggestion to frown.

“So, what do you think?” Isabel asked, even though she could guess what they were thinking from the awestruck expressions on their faces. She did not expect anything less.

“Is this going to be your crew? We have to figure out a way to work them in. Where did you find them?” Gary countered, getting out of his seat to speak with her face to face.

“I know a little spot. This isn’t my first time around these parts. So, now you’re letting me put together a crew?” she inquired, sounding just a little smug. The glint in her eyes said everything except “I told you so” in plain English.

“We have to do something. I mean, this is the kind of things that would help sell the movie!” Gary shouted, motioning to the group with a wild fling of his arms.

Isabel smirked. “Told you to let me handle these things.”

“Fine. I can see you know what you’re doing, but I still want you running things by me and you can’t verbally abuse the staff like that,” he admonished her.

“If that’s the case, I might as well go home. If a man is a fucking idiot, I’m going to call him on it. Whether it’s a guy working with me or if it’s you. That’s just how I do things,” she informed him with a shrug.

Gary actually conceded the point, mostly because Kat was making faces in the background letting him know that Isabel was being was easygoing as she possibly could be. Just like that, Isabel had the reins of the fight choreography. She was even stunned by how simple it was…but, only for a moment.

“I’m a businessman, Isabel. You have a product that I think will make me a lot of money, so I’ll let you do it your way as long as you give it your all,” Gary said with a blunt honesty that she could appreciate.

“I never put my name on something that doesn’t have my all in it and neither do any of the people with me,” Isabel assured him. 

-8-8-8-8-

Isabel settled into her new home, which was a condo not to far from her sister or Ellie. The place was two levels, like her past apartment. The bedrooms were located upstairs now. She did miss her large balcony from her old apartment, but her new balcony did have a nice view of a beach and the wonderful Pacific Ocean. She and Cassandra planned to go onto the beach later that night and go through their routines there. She even considered adding swimming to her workout routine.

As Isabel was putting up her dishes, she heard her cell phone. She groaned and had no plans to answer it, but Cassandra suddenly appeared holding the device. Isabel gave the child permission to answer it.

“Mommy’s phone,” Cassandra said.

“Uh…Cassie?” a voice that sounded suspiciously like Jason answered.

Cassandra frowned deeply. “Who’s this?” she demanded to know.

“Hey, Cassie. It’s Daddy,” he said. His heart actually clenched tightly for a moment as he thought about how his daughter did not recognize his voice. He dared to wonder how he had let things get so bad.

“Mommy, it’s Jason,” Cassandra informed her mother, holding the phone out for the older female as if the device offended her.

“Cassandra,” Isabel admonished the girl in a stern voice with a matching look. “You don’t call your father by his first name. You know that.” She took the phone from her daughter.

“Sorry,” Cassandra apologized and then went back to fixing up her bedroom. It was clear that apology was only said to appease her mother. She did not care one way or another about that guy.

Isabel shook her head. “Hey, Jason.”

“Hey, Iz. Cassandra sounds well. Is she doing all right?” he asked.

Isabel’s heart stopped beating for a moment. She could not believe that the first things out of his mouth were about their daughter. He had actually asked about their child without any prompting. Wow.

“She’s fine. We’re in California now and we’re trying to get settled in. I’m going to enroll her in school in a few days,” she explained. She thought a little break from school would do wonders for Cassandra…and they could have a few discussions about proper school behavior. The last thing she wanted was a teacher calling the house every night telling her about how Cassie forced some kid to eat paste or told someone to shove whatever up his ass.

“That’s good. I guess if I want to see you two I’ll have to come out there. Is that all right?”

“Is that what you’re planning?” she asked, trying her best to hide her shock. She was not doing a good job. She wondered if she was having some weird dream from the way that Jason was acting.

“I did want to talk to you before you left, if you recall, but you were so busy trying to get out of there on time. So, I guess to catch you now, I have to come out there. I’ve got plenty of days. You wouldn’t mind, would you? I really want to see Cassie,” he informed her. He did not see the point in mentioning that he wanted to see both of them. He really wanted to have his family back and to show that he was not only responsible, but that he loved them.

She blinked hard and was silent for a few seconds, not trusting herself to speak. When she did open her mouth, all she managed was a simple, “Really?”

“Yes. So, is it all right?”

“You can come out here whenever you want. But, Jason, let’s start small, okay?” she requested. She was willing to put up with him, for the sake of their daughter—at least that was what she told herself.

“I understand.” He did not want to fall into their old habits. He wanted things to work this time around. “I can come for a weekend or something, okay?”

“Sounds good.”

“I’ll call you before I come.”

She was stunned for the second time. Since when did Jason know just the right thing to say? She shook it off and decided to just see where Jason was going with things.

“Sounds good,” she told him.

“So, how are you?”

The former couple had a pleasant conversation after that. Isabel did not seem to notice until she hung up and saw that she had been on the phone with Jason for almost an hour. She doubted that she had never spoken to him for an hour without an argument happening, but they had both been civil toward each other. She thought it was strange, but it was a good strange.

The call from Jason about him coming to California came sooner than she expected, but she was established by then so she was not bothered by it. She had gotten Cassandra in school and was able to warn them about some of the behaviors that she already knew the antisocial child exhibited. She was glad that Cassandra’s new teacher seemed willing to work with the girl, which was different from Cassandra’s teacher from their former home.

Jason called after Isabel had been in California less than a month. He explained that he was eager to see them; he made sure to say “them” not “her.” He also surprised her by telling her that he had a hotel room; he did not just assume that he was going to stay with Isabel. He did show up in the early evening.

“Hey, Iz,” Jason said with a smile as she opened the door to her apartment.

“Hey,” she replied.

Jason stepped in and he embraced her lightly. It was supposed to be more like a friendly hug, but for some reason, it felt so much more intimate than any other time that they touched. Neither of them said anything about it, though. She just returned the hug and they parted after a few seconds.

“I brought you a housewarming gift.” Jason held up a plastic bag.

“That was nice of you,” she said, holding in her shock that he was being so considerate of her.

“I also brought Cassie something. She’s here, right?” His eyes scanned the apartment. He was both anxious and eager to see his daughter. With every second that went by, he felt worse and worse about the relationship that he had with Cassandra. He blamed his coworker and his never-ending pride in his little girl. Jason wanted to know what it was like to feel that way, to boast about his family, his daughter.

“Yes. She’s on the couch right now, doing homework.”

Jason smiled a bit, but his hands were shaking. Isabel noticed, but decided not to address it. He slipped out of his shoes without having to be told and approached the living room. He saw Cassandra on the sofa with a notebook in her lap and a math book by her side.

“Hey, Cassie,” Jason said and he was not spared a glance from her. He swallowed hard. “Do you remember me?” he asked, voice trembling ever-so slightly. He had never felt such shame before. What kind of father needed to ask if his child remembered him? The only way things could be worse in his opinion was if she did not remember him.

“Mommy, I need help,” Cassandra huffed, totally ignoring her father.

“Firefly, your daddy is right there and he was always good at math. You should ask him while I start dinner,” Isabel suggested. She could see that Jason was trying, so she did not see the problem in giving him a little help in the right direction.

Cassandra finally looked up with a skepticism that did not match her age. He chuckled nervously and ran his still shaking hands through his hair. She rolled her eyes and sneered at him as if he was something horrible.

“Mommy, help!” Cassandra called again.

“Your father will help you,” Isabel answered in a stern voice, from the kitchen that time.

“I do know math pretty good. Maybe if you give me a chance we can make it through this,” he proposed in a friendly tone.

Cassandra snorted. She would actually rather get it wrong on her own than get it correct with her father’s help. Still, she did not have much of a say in the matter as he sat down next to her and picked up her book. He glanced down at the math that she was doing.

“This is a bit advanced for someone your age, isn’t it?” he asked with a small smile.

Cassandra glared at him, taking offense apparently. “I can do it!” she declared, trying to snatch her textbook back.

He refused to let go and shook his head. “No, let me help. I didn’t mean anything by it. Your mom told me you go to private school, so it would make sense that you’re doing advanced math and things. I can show you an easy way to do it, though.”

The child remained skeptical, but Jason started going through the problems anyway. Though her face stayed tense through out the lesson, he noticed how with each problem she was able to go a little further than before thanks to his help. He was grinning by the end of the work and Cassandra seemed to think that she did it all by herself.

“Mommy, look at all the problems I did,” Cassandra said as she marched into the kitchen with her notebook in hand.

“You finished all of that already?” Isabel inquired as she glanced down to see all the homework problems complete.

“I knew what to do,” Cassandra stated proudly, pointing her thumb at herself.

“You sure did, bug,” Isabel replied and then she glanced at Jason, who was standing behind Cassandra. She was pleasantly surprised to see that Jason was not upset that Cassandra did not give him credit. He actually looked…happy.

“She’s a math whiz,” Jason chimed in, smiling all the way through.

Isabel nodded. “You’re staying for dinner?”

“If you’ll have me.”

A smile brightened pale features. Jason stayed for dinner and beyond, amazingly not getting on anyone’s nerves. He was there when Isabel put Cassandra to bed a little after ten; she was allowed to stay up late since it was a Friday. By then, Jason was able to give Cassandra his present, which was a plush tiger. He recalled that she liked animals, big cats especially. She did not thank him or show any sign of liking the gift, but she did fall asleep with it in her arms.

“Do you think she liked the tiger?” Jason asked as he and Isabel sat down on the couch.

“I think she loved it. You did good today,” Isabel replied.

“So, does this mean I get to take you both out tomorrow?” he requested, a shy, almost frightened smile appearing on his strong face.

“What did you have in mind?”

“Nothing fancy. A day at the zoo or something. They do have zoos around here, right?”

She laughed. “Jason, it’s California, not Mars. If you’re driving, we can be your passengers.”

“Okay. I’m glad I was able to remember that Cassie liked animals. I was a bit scared that I didn’t know anything about her,” he admitted with a nervous laugh. He ran his hands through his hair again.

“Jason, you’ve changed, a lot,” she informed him. She was not sure if she should be saying it so soon, but it was so clear. From talking to him on the phone to seeing him now let her know that she was not looking at the same Jason that she purposely distanced herself from almost a year ago. How could he have changed so vastly so quickly?

“I hope so. I’m sorry for how I was before. I realized that wasn’t the kind of man I wanted to be. I want to be there for my family, for our daughter. I want to be a real man and like your mother said so many years ago, it took two to create Cassie. For a long time I just looked at her as your daughter, especially with the way she acted around me…not that I gave her much choice in the matter with the way I treated her. I’ve seen the light, though. She’s our daughter and I want her to see that too. I want her to call me ‘Daddy’ and mean it.”

“Give it time, Jason. If you’re sincere, then it will come.”

Jason nodded. He wanted to ask if there was still a chance for him and Isabel, but he decided not to push it. One step at a time and his first step was improving his relationship with his daughter. He made sure that was his main focus.

He knew that he had to do everything a little at a time with Cassandra. She was so much like her mother that he knew he had to be careful not to overwhelm her or smother her with attention. Little by little he was able to get it. There were a few setbacks, but with each visit he improved and from there each time he came out he was allotted a chance to stay a little bit longer. 

-8-8-8-8- 

“You know, sometimes I think about when we first started dating and then I look at us now in complete amazement,” Jason commented. He and Isabel were sitting out on the balcony of her apartment, watching the full moon over the pale beach water. Cassandra was passed out on Isabel’s chest after a day of excitement at an amusement park; her reward for having such good grades and finally getting a good behavior report. Her parents assumed it was the first and last good behavior report she would ever get.

“What’s so amazing?” Isabel asked. She had her own ideas about what was amazing, like the fact that Jason had come out to California so many times just to visit with Cassandra in the past year and the fact that he had not done anything to make her want to kill him. Sure, there were moments when she had to yell at him, but nothing serious like in the past.

“You went from illegal street-fighting tournaments to a fight choreographer, which I never would have suspected. I’m not playing football anymore and not totally pissed about the idea. I have a decent job. We have a daughter, who is very bright, but very antisocial, much like you,” he replied, teasing a bit with the end.

“Well, we were just kids when we started out,” she pointed out.

“What are we now?” he wondered aloud.

Isabel actually held off her usual arrogance for her response. “Growing. We have a ways to go, but we’re growing.”

“Can we keep growing together?” he requested, reaching out to take her hand in his.

Isabel did not say anything, but she did not move her hand. He glanced down at their linked hands and smiled at her. She did not turn to look at him.

“Let’s keep going at this pace for now. We’re doing a good job,” she stated and he nodded in agreement. They were quiet from there on, but they did not release each other’s hands. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the end.


	31. Epilogue: Adulthood

Epilogue: Adulthood

Jason was in rush to get out of the office. He shut down his computer, hastily and sloppily threw all of his papers into his bag, and was ready to run out of the door. He made it three feet away from his desk before he was held up. He groaned inwardly.

“Hey, Jason, I saw another episode of your sister-in-law’s show. She is hot! Can she really do all of that kick ass karate?” his coworker asked.

“It’s kung-fu and, yes, she can,” Jason answered. Mentally, he added that she would end up doing that kung-fu on him if he did not move his ass. Why the hell had he told his coworkers that Kat was his sister-in-law anyway?! Now they always wanted to stop and talk to him about her show.

“Man, you lucked out. I mean, if your sister-in-law is that hot, I can only imagine what your wife looks like.”

Jason rolled his eyes. Everyone knew what his wife looked like; he had shown pictures of her and the wedding for the whole summer. They had all ohh-ed and aw-ed as he expected. Of course, they were more impressed with his sister-in-law since they got to see her on television every Tuesday night. Sometimes, they ever got a glimpse of his little girl.

“Look, I need to get going. Talk to you later,” Jason said and he did not give his coworker a chance to answer.

The large man hurried out of the building and to his car. He tossed his bag into the back and rushed off, making sure not to go too far over the speed limit. He hoped he was not late or she would never forgive him. He pulled up to a large, posh school and saw that kids were still pouring out, so he figured that he was not late.

“Hey, midget,” Jason greeted Cassandra as the passenger side door opened.

Cassandra did not say anything or even glance at her father as she entered. She was looking more and more like her mother everyday. She was now nine years old and the tallest student in her third grade class. Her face was smoothing out, making it clear that she was going to be just as beautiful as her mother. She was mini-Isabel, a little Izzie as he heard Kat call the girl; he knew that Isabel hated to hear such things and Cassandra seemed to hate hearing it more and more each day. He made sure that he never used that nickname because of all of the hate around it.

Cassandra locked herself into the passenger seat after dumping her book-bag on the floor. She fumbled with the seatbelt a little, rumpling her uncomfortable uniform; she could not for the life of her figure out why she needed to wear a skirt to school. There was a thick blazer with it that often left her hot and she often got in trouble with her teacher from leaving it various places in the school. The only consolation was that the uniform was black.

“How was the last day?” Jason asked curiously, a small smile on his face. It was officially Spring Break for the child.

Cassandra shrugged and her father knew it was not a slight against him. Over the years, she had opened up to him a little more, but her mother was still her parent of choice when it came to almost everything. She would call Jason “Daddy” without prompting now and went to him for help with her homework or school projects. Sometimes, she went on her own and sometimes her mother had to send her to her father. He knew that it would take time, but they were inching their way toward a semi-comfortable relationship.

Jason was about to start the car, but Cassandra moving caught his eye. She opened her book-bag and pulled out a sheet of paper. She then handed it to him. He got to see that it was a math test. She had a perfect score of thirty out of thirty.

“Was this the one we studied for last week?” he asked, pride in his eyes and in his voice.

Cassandra nodded. Math and science were Jason’s specialties and Cassandra did make it a point to go to him when she needed help or just to study. When it came to other subjects, Isabel tended to have to yell at one of them if she was not available to help. Jason tried to weasel out of other subjects because he did not want to be embarrassed by fourth grade work. Cassandra just knew that aside for math and science her father was out of his element and would rather avoid him trying to get out of helping. She did not want to waste her time, after all. 

“All right, let’s get out of here. Lord knows your mother will have my head if we’re late today,” he muttered. She nodded in agreement.

The drive to their home was almost a half-hour. They pulled up to a large house, mostly paid for by Isabel. Honestly, it bothered Jason’s pride just a little that Isabel made more money than he did, but he was trying his best to work past it. They had had a few arguments about it, but nothing serious thankfully.

The small family lived in the suburbs with a huge lawn. There was a pool in the backyard. They had two dogs, one of which that belonged to Jason and the other belonged to Cassandra. Isabel could not stand the dogs, but found herself taking them for a walk every morning.

The first thing Jason and Cassandra did when they entered the house was whistle for their pups. Jason had taught Cassandra how to do the whistle. Two tiny canines charged over. The dogs were mutts, rescued from the pound; Cassandra insisted on going to the pound for pets. She never explained why and Isabel never pressed for an explanation. It took Jason a few months to realize that Cassandra would never bother to explain herself.

“Hey, are you two causing Iz any grief?” Jason asked while reaching down to rub the puppies’ heads.

“You damn right they have! Jumping on me every fucking five minutes! I’m going to grill those damn beasts one day soon!” Isabel replied in her usual huff. From the sound of her hollering, Jason and Cassandra knew that she was in the living room.

Jason and Cassandra ignored the tirade; they had heard the threats on the daily basis. They could not figure out why Isabel hated the dogs when they loved her so much. Sometimes, the owners felt like their puppies loved Isabel most of all. Cassandra picked both pups up as she and her father marched into the living room. They found Isabel curled up on the sofa with a legal pad by her side and a script in her hand.

“Working on the next show?” Jason asked curiously as he leaned down to kiss Isabel.

The couple kissed each other on the mouth while Cassandra looked away and gagged a little. She could not figure out why her parents did such gross things like kiss. She could not figure out why they were together either. Yes, it was much better than she recalled, but sometimes, she still wanted it to just be her and her mother…not that she would ever admit that out loud.

“I was trying to get it done before you two got here, but now it’ll have to wait until after the reunion. Everybody’s ready to go?” Isabel inquired.

Cassandra nodded enthusiastically. “I’ve got everything packed. I called Auntie too and she said she’s gonna ride with Aunt Ellie, so we can leave right now.”

“You’re on top of your game, firefly. I think you and your daddy need to throw on some comfortable clothes first,” Isabel pointed out. “Unless you want all of your cousins to see your school uniform.”

Cassandra was gone at the thought of such an embarrassing notion. Jason laughed a bit and then took a seat next to Isabel. She curled into his wide form and they were silent for a moment.

“Thank you for trying this again,” Isabel said. She had a good feeling about things too, believing things would not blow up in her face this time around.

“Thank you for trying us again,” he replied. “I know now how much this all means to you and Cassie. I might not agree with a lot of it, but this is your family. You put up with mine, so I should put up with yours.”

She chuckled and shook her head. “What a way to look at things. Still, thank you.”

He smiled. “No problem, babe. I’m just happy to be here, happy that you love me.”

Isabel smiled a little and leaned over to kiss his cheek. He smiled too. He noticed that as Isabel got older and they both mellowed, she was much more affectionate…with him anyway. He was happy for that and it was incentive to keep him for reverting back to his old, uptight, standoffish self. The more understanding he was, the more kisses and caresses he received.

“Well, I should go get ready. I want to be comfortable when I see your big moment. Can I rub it in your mother’s face?” he asked, half-joking.

“If she has broken legs and you can still out run her,” Isabel answered. 

Jason laughed, even though he knew that was the truth. Despite the fact that he had cooled down over the years, Isabella still held onto her initial hatred of him. It was hard to let it all go, to forgive a man for thinking he was better than her daughter, for leaving her granddaughter, and for all around pigheaded behavior. He knew that he had a ways to go in her eyes, but he could only do it little by little. He was trying very hard, but she did not even want to give him credit for that.

“She wouldn’t kill your loving husband, right?” he inquired with a hopeful smile.

“I wouldn’t bet on it. Mommy’s full of surprises. Now, come on, go get ready. You know the bug will throw a fit if she’s ready to go and you’re not,” she reminded him.

Jason nodded and went to go change his clothing. Isabel took the time to load her luggage, one duffle bag, into the trunk of the car. Cassandra came zooming out moments later with her own duffle bag, tossing it into the trunk without much care. She had a book-bag on her back, but she kept that with her. Jason was out a couple of minutes later, ignoring the glares from Cassandra.

“You act like they’ll start without you,” Jason teased the nine-year-old.

“He’s right. They can’t start without the champs,” Isabel declared confidently, making a fist.

“That’s right,” Cassandra agreed.

Jason climbed into the driver’s seat and they were off. Isabel reflected on how much they had changed in the five years since the last Han family reunion/tournament. Jason was not judgmental about it and actually requested if he would be able to attend the reunion. He promised to be on his best behavior and not embarrass her by talking without thinking. The vow had been made with such a deep look of sincerity that she almost did not believe he was speaking to her. He was certainly trying hard, Isabel noted; and she appreciated the trying.

Isabel had also changed in many ways since the last tournament. She was now gainfully and legally employed; she tried not to think about the fact that she was doing the same thing as her mother. She was more tolerant now, mostly from having to control her temper around actors that could not quite comprehend what she was asking them. Her being able to control her temper was one of the things that helped her get along with Jason much easier now than years ago. She did not fly off the handle all the time now and then they were able to talk through their differences, usually able to come up with a decent compromise.

Cassandra had grown too, much in the same respects as her mother. She was able to tolerate and deal with her father, mostly due to the fact that she was a little more patient than she used to be. They were not sure what brought on the change, but Jason suspected it had to do with the girl trying to be like the woman that she so idolized—her mother. Cassandra ignored him whenever he even implied such a thing,

The changes were the things that allowed them to be a family. Jason was probably the only one of them to admit that they liked the little family unit that they had going, but it seemed to agree with them all. They were going to keep at it, even if they did not know it. 

-8-8-8-8- 

The Han family was gathered in the same area as they were five years ago for their family reunion. They were mingling as always, but mentally preparing for what was to come. They had the children’s tournaments first. It was not a surprise that Cassandra dominated her matches and won, but it was a surprise that Alex lasted as long as she did.

“I did good, right, Mommy?” Alex asked Kat with a proud grin. She was missing her two front teeth; they had been gone before the tournament started.

“You know you did, kitten!” Kat grinned right back. One would think there was no prouder mother in the room, but they knew that was not the case.

Isabel was standing with her sister and her niece. Cassandra was standing next to her mother. From her demeanor, one would think that Cassandra was twenty feet tall. Isabel’s hand was on Cassandra’s shoulder. The child had to fight off a grin, but on the inside she was jumping up and down like a maniac.

“You sure are raising another Izzie, huh?” their cousin, Cleo, remarked as she came up behind Isabel.

“Damn it, don’t call her that. My bug is just that good,” Isabel declared with her chin tilted high with pride.

“If only you were the same,” the hauntingly familiar voice of the matriarch of the Han family commented. Everyone gulped, except for Alex as she had not developed the sense of dread when it came to the senior Isabella…yet anyway.

“I am the same. I will win this thing and claim my destiny,” Isabel vowed as she turned to face her grandmother. The determination on her face and hungry glint in her eyes was nothing new; those had been there too long to convince her grandmother that she was going to succeed.

The senior Isabella smirked. “I’ve heard that so many times. Your sister might be the one to do it.”

“I might,” Kat stated with a confident smile. Isabel and Cassandra glared at the blonde.

“Maybe Ellie will be the one. She has always been a nice wall for you two. I hear Ti has painted a target on your back, Izzie,” the matriarch said.

Isabel frowned, but her grandmother strolled off before she could say anything. The group dispersed to go get ready for the main tournament right after that. Isabel silently promised herself that it was her time now and she was not going to let her grandmother mess with her mind. She was at her peak in regards to everything. She had to win.

Isabel breezed through her opponents like she had the last tournament. Kat was happy just to be fighting that year, but she was taken out by her cousin Ti before she was able to make it to semi-finals. Ellie was looking forward to fighting Isabel in the semis like before, but ran into one hell of a roadblock in the form of Isabel’s aunt, Maria. Maria did not make it much further after she took care of Ellie because she ran into her big sister, Isabella. The final match was expected, but there was an excited fervor despite that.

“Mommy, you better win,” Cassandra ordered in a low threatening voice. She was holding her mother down to her level with an intense grip on Isabel’s sleeveless shirt. Young emerald eyes narrowed. “If you don’t beat Grandma, I’ll be ashamed of you,” she promised in a dead serious tone.

Jason was about to admonish the girl for such words; he was standing behind Cassandra as the child pumped her mother up. The reason he stopped was because he recalled that this was Isabel and Cassandra’s element. They understood everything much better than he did, so he needed to stand back and watch without saying anything that threw off their groove.

“If you don’t beat Grandma, I won’t even claim you,” Cassandra vowed. It was clear that she was speaking the honest truth and no one doubted that, not even her mother.

In fact, the words impacted Isabel the most, as they were supposed. The pale woman did not respond to her daughter, but kept eye contact with her for a long time. Isabel was not permitted to rise until Cassandra let go of her shirt. Once that was done, Isabel turned to look into the ring where her mother was waiting for her.

“Come on, Izzie,” Isabella said, motioning toward her with her right hand. Her stance was already one prepared for battle.

Isabel smirked as she climbed into the ring, eager to make her dreams a reality. The opponents approached each other and stood face to face for a moment. They then dropped into their battle stances. Isabel released a long breath through her nose as she crouched into her defensive posture. Isabella took a deep breath.

When the signal came, everyone expected Isabel to charge her mother; they were surprised. Isabel waited, circled her mother as Isabella studied her. The crowd was dead silent, sensing that this fight was not like the last time the mother and daughter faced off.

The two sized each other up, scanning for openings, taking in every movement. Everything looked tight and guarded between them. Isabel cursed in her mind, thinking that she might have peaked in life and still not be any match for her mother since she did not see any openings to attack. Her shoulders twitched and her legs itched to move forward, to get it over with, and to be disowned by her own daughter if she did so.

Just as she was about to move, Isabel held off. Her eyes picked up on something that she had never seen before with her mother. She could get around her mother’s perfect defense, she thought. She would have to get around her mother’s defense to make it out of this thing the winner and for the first time she knew how.

Isabella was expecting a feint of some sort, as that was usually how Isabel fought. Well, that was how she recalled Isabel fighting. She had not seen the younger woman fight in about a year and even what she saw the last time was not much. She noticed that Isabel fought with more intelligence, but she was not sure how much more.

Isabella banished those thoughts from her mind immediately as her daughter struck with the speed of a viper and she found her elbow stinging with the same intensity as if a snake bit her. Isabel was not looking to get around Isabella’s defense. She was looking to crumble it bit by bit.

The fight was on with Isabel tagging her mother’s arms whenever she could, hitting the same spot as best she could. Isabella tried to back off and gain some control over the fight, but Isabel continued on attacking. Isabella decided to counter, which made the crowd go wild as the fight went to the next level.

Cheers exploded through the place as mother and daughter attacked, countered, and retreated what seemed like an infinite amount of times. Eyes remained focused on the ring, watching an epic battle that looked as graceful as a ballet and as deadly a minefield. No one wanted to blink, knowing that would miss something outstanding. No one wanted to breathe, fearful that they might distract one of the fighters.

The first few minutes were the two fighters feeling each other out, reminding themselves of the others ability. More power started to creep into each hit as the time went by, though. The first major blow was landed by Isabella. She hit Isabel on the chin with her elbow.

Isabel’s head snapped back and stumbled backwards. Isabella was like a shark that smelled blood in the water, trying to converge on her prey and land another deadly blow. She was stunned to be met by the next spectacular hit of the match, taking Isabel’s heel right into her shoulder. The force was enough to back her up.

The crowd expected the pair to collide with the force of two comets, but they eyed each other like two stalking cats. The onlookers held their breath, waiting for the next explosive move. They did not have to wait long.

Isabel came in, lightning fast blows. Isabella weaved out of the way, dodging the attack, and trying to calculate her own counter. The two started going back and forth, trying not to give much ground and trying to conquer as much ground as possible. The moves were nearly faster than eyes could follow and the power behind each hit echoed with enough noise to cause the audience to flinch.

The tension mounded for the crowd as nothing seemed to be giving and then the next big play came. Isabel went into a kick combination that everyone had seen her do before, but they had never seen it so precise. Kicks landed against Isabella’s torso and ended with Isabel’s heel on her cheek.

Isabella fell back and put her arms up as she saw her daughter coming at her. Isabel pressed with more kicks; her powerful legs slamming into her mother’s body. The younger woman thought that she had her mother on the retreat, but found out differently. Isabella countered with her own kicks.

Isabel was hit in the neck and that backed her off. Isabella marched in, fists flying. Everyone could hear the bones crunching as the punches impacted Isabel, but the younger woman did not seem as bothered by them as she would have been five years ago. In fact, she easily sidestepped the onslaught and went into her own counter.

Isabel punched her mother with enough force to push her back several inches. Isabella did not show her disbelief, but she really could not believe that she had just been pushed back by the sheer strength of her daughter’s punch. The impact was more accurate than Isabel had been capable of before and that forced Isabella’s body to absorb more than what she was used to when fighting Isabel.

The match continued and Isabella felt more of her daughter’s focused wrath. Power that she knew was there, but Isabel had never been able to bring out properly was showing now. The usual taunts that got Isabel to lose her cool did not work, no matter how serious Isabella made them sound.

“You can’t surpass me, Izzie,” Isabella growled as she came in with a combination of her own. This was a combination that usually caught Isabel so off guard that she did not realize what was going on until the fifth hit, but by that time, Isabel had actually escaped it.

“It’s my time,” Isabel replied with her own growl as she came in with her own moves now.

The younger fighter crashed against her mother like a tsunami against a muddy cliff, thinking that she would be able to just overwhelm her mother. The crowd looked like their jaws were already to hit the floor. Was the monster of their family, Isabella, about to be dethroned by her heir-apparent? Was it possible?

Those questions were going through Isabella’s mind and she believed that she held the answer. She sidestepped her daughter and as Isabel was in the middle of a punch, Isabella kicked her directly in the ribs with everything that she had. Isabel gasped as she fell back, wondering if she had really heard her rib cage shatter, and stumbled to stay on her feet. Isabella did not allow that and came in to finish her child, bashing Isabel with another kick to the same space.

“Come on, Izzie!” Kat screamed as loud as she could, making her face flush bright red. _Damn it!_ She felt a need to see her sister embrace her destiny and it needed to be done now.

“Mommy, you better win,” Cassandra said with grit in her tone, even though she knew her voice would not be heard above the crowd.

“Come on, Isabel. It’s there for you. Take that shit!” Ellie hollered, hoping that she was heard over the din. She wanted the victory as badly for Isabel as she did for herself. Since Isabel was there now, she wanted Isabel to walk away with it all.

Isabel’s head was swimming from the blows, but she could have sworn that she heard her sister, her daughter, and her best friend cheering for her. She tried to shake it all away and remain on her feet, even though her body was begging that she just drop. She needed all of her attention on her mother, she reminded herself. She needed everything to take on her mother and she refused to drop at the moment. She was going to fight her mother tooth and nail and claim what was hers.

Emerald eyes locked onto the approaching form of Isabella. Time slowed down, as far as Isabel was concerned. Her mother’s next move was telegraphed in and she dipped out of the way to avoid losing her head. She quickly snapped into her counter. The sound of her open palm crashing into her mother’s body seemed to echo through the whole hall.

Isabella gasped and each palm strike that rippled through her body felt worst than the last. A final blow, that she would later find out was the same kick that Isabel hit her with five years ago, caused her world to go black. Isabel was not sure what to do with herself when her mother hit the canvass. Was Isabella going to get back up? Was she going to be pissed off if she did?

The crowd was silent, shocked, awed. Eyes remained open, breathing halted, and everyone waited for Isabella to climb to her feet, to go after her daughter like a demon possessed. It never happened. Isabella remained on the floor as time was up. Isabel was announced as the winner, the champion, the new beast of the Han family.

“I won?” Isabel swayed, unable to believe it. She never won, not against her mother.

“Way to go, big sis!” Kat screamed as she charged into the ring and leaped into Isabel’s arms. Isabel almost fell over when the weight hit her, but somehow she managed to stay on her feet.

Ellie came in right after Kat, proudly patting Isabel on the shoulder rather than making an ass out of herself like Kat. Cassandra and Alex were behind; Cassandra had to help her blonde cousin into the ring. They cheered until they were hoarse while Isabel looked between her mother’s prone form and Jason’s confused gaze; despite all of his trying, he would never understand why it was so important for her to defeat her mother.

The celebrating went on until the end of the day, even though it took a while for Isabel to truly understand that she had won. It was not until her mother regained consciousness that it really sunk in that she was the champion. Isabella awoke to find her daughter being toasted, sort of like being crowned. She smirked and quickly gathered herself a glass to join in, hailing her eldest and confirming for Isabel that she was the real champ. As night set in, mother and daughter found a place to be alone.

Isabel and Isabella walked into the park that Isabel had wandered with Cassandra when they had both lost five years ago. Now, Isabel was a winner and Cassandra had celebrated so hard that she was sleeping in her father’s arms back at the hotel. The mother and daughter stopped at the pond where there were fireflies dancing over the water as there had been five years ago. This let Isabel know the world had not changed just because she seized her destiny, but her entire world felt brand new. Everything around her seemed fresh, full of life, promise, and hope.

“Congratulations, Izzie,” Isabella said in her typical monotone voice. Despite her tone, a happy smile settled on her face and refused to leave.

“Congratulations to you too, Mommy,” Isabel replied, smiling too.

“Don’t hand out congrats yet. Your sister still has to defeat me before I’m done. You know, you’re not off the hook either. You’ve only come halfway. Don’t slack on Cassie’s training,” Isabella ordered, staring her daughter in the eye to let her know how important her job was.

Isabel nodded to show that she understood and maintained eye contact, so that her mother would see that she did get it. “I won’t. One day, this will repeat itself. Cassandra will defeat me,” the younger warrior vowed.

Isabella nodded and then said words that Isabel was almost certain that she heard wrong. “I’m proud of you. Not just for this, but everything. I’m proud of what you’ve done with your life.”

Isabel did not say anything, just letting the greatest praise ever wash over her. Despite everything, her mother was proud of her for everything. Isabel felt like her life was complete. She was happily married, raising a good daughter, and her mother was proud of her. She was just going to keep it up, then.

-8-8-8-8-

The end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you wanna see more of my fanfics, they're all at FFN under [StarvingLunatic](https://www.fanfiction.net/~starvinglunatic). If you wanna see some original stories, you can look at FP under [StarvingLunatic](https://www.fictionpress.com/u/576301/).


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